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From banger to classic – a model for sustainable car consumption?
Author(s) -
Nieuwenhuis Paul
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
international journal of consumer studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.775
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1470-6431
pISSN - 1470-6423
DOI - 10.1111/j.1470-6431.2008.00721.x
Subject(s) - sustainability , consumption (sociology) , context (archaeology) , product (mathematics) , sustainable consumption , sustainable products , consumer behaviour , business , marketing , economics , advertising , microeconomics , production (economics) , sociology , social science , ecology , paleontology , geometry , mathematics , biology
Cars are the most complex of consumer durables, yet they are not as durable as one may expect. Each year, millions of cars are scrapped, many still roadworthy or easily repairable. As with other consumer durables, consumers increasingly lose their emotional attachment with their old car in favour of a younger model. Is it possible to remedy this failure of consumer–product relationships in the interest of greater product durability and hence greater environmental sustainability? This paper explores this question in the context of the classic car market and suggests there may be some lessons there that could lead to a more sustainable new car consumption culture.