Abstract:

In the current situation which is characteristic for the environmental pollution and increasingly evident climate changes, the sustainable development is becoming an imperative, and the sustainable consumption is turning into a relevant component of its achievement. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the better understanding of sustainable consumption by young Croatian people and to emphasise the gender-based differences in this sense. There was used the scale which takes into account the product/consumer life cycle, that is, the phases of purchase, use and disposal of product; all the important categories of product are included (food, housing, mobility and clothing) in terms of the pro-environmental behaviour and also the social dimension. According to the results, young people reveal the sustainable behaviour to an average extent – they are the strongest energy savers, but their awareness of meat consumption is the weakest. Regarding the gender, as in the majority of other studies, the females practice the pro-environmental behaviour stronger in eight behaviours, while the males show a statistically significant difference in their preference towards online shopping. Young people are a reflection of social values and behaviour, so what should be emphasised is the importance of interaction between all stakeholders for achieving the stronger sustainable consumption and, consequently, the sustainable development.