From Sustainable Consumption to Climate Activism. Sustainability Careers of Young People in Germany.

Abstract This article examines young people’s pathways towards climate activism and how they relate to consumption practices. Based on 21 narrative interviews with younger adults in Germany, we identified different types of consumption practices and corresponding attitudes towards sustainability among activists, supporters and non-supporters of the climate movement. Using the concept of “careers of practice” by Reckwitz (2002), we highlight how sustainable consumption practices were broadened by supporters and actvists of the climate movement Fridays for Future. This emerged parallel to the development of the personal meaning of reflective consumption practices geared towards sustainability. For the group of activists, the relevance of individual consumption practices shrinks over time and they see more impact in political activism. They continue sustainable consumption practices but emphasize participating in political activism. The article identifies typical pathways of young adults coping with the experience of the climate crises and relates their “sustainability careers” to biographical markers.