Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T16:34:50.495Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Explaining the rebound effects of sustainable design: a behavioural perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 May 2024

Imke G. H. Van der Loo  and
Daniela C. A. Pigosso
Imke G. H. Van der Loo*
Affiliation:
Technical University of Denmark, DTU Construct, Denmark
Daniela C. A. Pigosso
Affiliation:
Technical University of Denmark, DTU Construct, Denmark
*
ivdlo@dtu.dk

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Despite its importance, the understanding of the behavioural mechanisms underlying rebound effects triggered by sustainable design is still limited. Through a systematic literature review, this study analyses and discusses 18 behavioural mechanisms. The key gaps of behavioural research on rebound effects are (1) limited in-depth analysis of different mechanisms (2); lack of clearly defined concepts; and (3) neglect of various research topics. To bring the behavioural understanding of rebound effects and sustainable design to a higher level, four key steps for future research are suggested.

Keywords

sustainable designrebound effectshuman behaviour
Type
Design for Sustainability
Information
Proceedings of the Design Society , Volume 4: DESIGN 2024 , May 2024 , pp. 1497 - 1506
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
The Author(s), 2024.

References

Acuti, D., Pizzetti, M., & Dolnicar, S. (2022). When sustainability backfires: A review on the unintended negative side-effects of product and service sustainability on consumer behavior. Psychology and Marketing, 39(10), 1933–1945. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21709CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-TCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Antal, M., & Van Den Bergh, J. C. J. M. (2013). Macroeconomics, financial crisis and the environment: Strategies for a sustainability transition. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 6, 47–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2013.01.002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Biolchini, J., Mian, P. G., Natali, A. C. C., & Travassos, G. H. (2005). Systematic review in software engineering. System engineering and computer science department COPPE/UFRJ, Technical Report ES, 679(05), 45.Google Scholar
Chang, J.-J., Wang, W.-N., & Shieh, J.-Y. (2018). Environmental rebounds/backfires: Macroeconomic implications for the promotion of environmentally-friendly products. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 88, 35–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2017.09.004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chitnis, M., & Sorrell, S. (2015). Living up to expectations: Estimating direct and indirect rebound effects for UK households. Energy Economics, 52, S100–S116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2015.08.026CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chitnis, M., Sorrell, S., Druckman, A., Firth, S. K., & Jackson, T. (2014). Who rebounds most? Estimating direct and indirect rebound effects for different UK socioeconomic groups. Ecological Economics, 106, 12–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2014.07.003CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Borger, B., Mulalic, I., & Rouwendal, J. (2021). The Rebound Effect for Car Transport. In International Encyclopedia of Transportation: Volume 1-7 (Vol. 1). https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102671-7.10030-2CrossRefGoogle Scholar
European Parliament. (2020). European Green Deal Investment Plan (Sustainable Europe Investment Plan) Legislative train schedule. Retrieved October 23, 2023Google Scholar
Exadaktylos, F., & van den Bergh, J. (2021). Energy-related behaviour and rebound when rationality, self-interest and willpower are limited. Nature Energy, 6(12), 1104–1113. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-021-00889-4CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Falagas, M. E., Pitsouni, E. I., Malietzis, G. A., & Pappas, G. (2008). Comparison of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar: Strengths and weaknesses. FASEB Journal, 22(2), 338–342. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.07-9492LSFCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Festinger, L. (1957). A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. United Kingdom: Stanford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Galvin, R., & Gubernat, A. (2016). The rebound effect and Schatzki's social theory: Reassessing the socio-materiality of energy consumption via a German case study. Energy Research and Social Science, 22, 183–193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2016.08.024CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gillingham, K., Rapson, D., & Wagner, G. (2016). The rebound effect and energy efficiency policy. Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, 10(1), 68–88. https://doi.org/10.1093/reep/rev017CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grabs, J. (2015). The rebound effects of switching to vegetarianism. A microeconomic analysis of Swedish consumption behavior. Ecological Economics, 116, 270–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2015.04.030CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guagnano, G. A., Dietz, T., & Stern, P. C. (1994). Willingness to pay for public goods: A Test of the Contribution Model. Psychological Science, 5(6), 411–415. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.1994.tb00295.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hedström, P., & Ylikoski, P. (2010). Causal mechanisms in the social sciences. Annual Review of Sociology, 36, 49–67. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.012809.102632CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hertwich, E. G. (2005). Consumption and the rebound effect: An industrial ecology perspective. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 9(1–2), 85–98. https://doi.org/10.1162/1088198054084635CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hofstetter, P., Madjar, M., & Ozawa, T. (2006). Happiness and sustainable consumption: Psychological and physical rebound effects at work in a tool for sustainable design. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 11(SPEC. ISS.), 105–115. https://doi.org/10.1065/lca2006.04.018CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jolls, C., Sunstein, C. R., & Thaler, R. (1998). A Behavioral Approach to Law and Economics. Stanford Law Review, 50(5), 1471. https://doi.org/10.2307/1229304CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kollmuss, A., & Agyeman, J. (2002). Mind the Gap: Why do people act environmentally and what are the barriers to pro-environmental behavior? Environmental Education Research, 8(3), 239–260. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620220145401CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laibson, D. (1997). Golden eggs and hyperbolic discounting. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 112(2), 442–477. https://doi.org/10.1162/003355397555253CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lange, S., Kern, F., Peuckert, J., & Santarius, T. (2021). The Jevons paradox unravelled: A multi-level typology of rebound effects and mechanisms. Energy Research & Social Science, 74, 101982. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ERSS.2021.101982CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lasarov, W., Mai, R., & Hoffmann, S. (2022). The backfire effect of sustainable social cues. New evidence on social moral licensing. Ecological Economics, 195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2022.107376CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Metic, J., & Pigosso, D. C. A. (2022). Research avenues for uncovering the rebound effects of the circular economy: A systematic literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 368. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.133133CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nash, N., Whitmarsh, L., Capstick, S., Hargreaves, T., Poortinga, W., Thomas, G., Sautkina, E., & Xenias, D. (2017). Climate-relevant behavioral spillover and the potential contribution of social practice theory. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 8(6). https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.481Google Scholar
Peters, A., & Dütschke, E. (2016). Exploring rebound effects from a psychological perspective. In Rethinking Climate and Energy Policies: New Perspectives on the Rebound Phenomenon. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-38807-6_6CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pigosso, D.C.A., McAloone, T.C., & Rozenfeld, H. (2014). Systematization of best practices for ecodesign implementation. In 13th International Design Conference - Design 2014. Design Society, pp. 1651-1662, 13th International Design Conference, Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19/05/2014.Google Scholar
Santarius, T. (2016). Energy efficiency and social acceleration: Macro-level rebounds from a sociological perspective. In Rethinking Climate and Energy Policies: New Perspectives on the Rebound Phenomenon. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-38807-6_9CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Santarius, T., & Soland, M. (2018). How Technological Efficiency Improvements Change Consumer Preferences: Towards a Psychological Theory of Rebound Effects. Ecological Economics, 146, 414–424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.12.009CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schatzki, T. R. (1990). Do Social Structures Govern Action? Midwest Studies In Philosophy, 15(1), 280–295. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4975.1990.tb00218.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scott, J. (2000). Rational choice theory. In Understanding Contemporary Society: Theories of the Present (126-138). SAGE Publications Ltd, https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446218310CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sorrell, S. (2007). The Rebound Effect: an assessment of the evidence for economy-wide energy savings from improved energy efficiency. UK Energy Research Centre, London.Google Scholar
Sorrell, S., Gatersleben, B., & Druckman, A. (2020). The limits of energy sufficiency: A review of the evidence for rebound effects and negative spillovers from behavioural change. Energy Research and Social Science, 64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2020.101439CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thaler, R. H. (2019). Mental accounting matters. In Choices, Values, and Frames. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511803475.015CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tukker, A. (2004). Eight types of product-service system: Eight ways to sustainability? Experiences from suspronet. Business Strategy and the Environment, 13(4), 246–260. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.414CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1974). Judgment under uncertainty: Heuristics and biases. Science, 185(4157), 1124–1131. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.185.4157.1124CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wollbrant, C. E., Knutsson, M., & Martinsson, P. (2022). Extrinsic rewards and crowding-out of prosocial behaviour. Nature Human Behaviour, 6(6), 774–781. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01293-yCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed