ABSTRACT
The defining characteristic of consumer scapegoatism is the tendency to assign responsibility for the sustainability transition to individual consumers and citizens, without adequately considering whether they can significantly influence the outcome or the relevant players in the system. A paradigmatic case of consumer scapegoatism is the systematic use of pro-environment claims to encourage the consumption of goods and services, a practice known as green consumerism. The promotion of green consumerism by governments and markets makes consumers responsible for both sustaining economic growth and pushing the socio-economic system toward ecological sustainability – despite consumers’ limited ability to do so.
