Towards an Understanding of Sustainable Consumption Factors in Crisis Context: A Systematic Literature Review

This study systematically reviews the existing literature to examine which factors determine sustainable consumption in the context of crises triggered by external shocks and how these factors evolve across the reaction, coping, and adaptation stages. Through a synthesis of 34 prior research articles from Clarivate Analytics Web of Science and Scopus databases, the study evaluates theoretical frameworks, research contexts, and methods in sustainable consumption research during crises. The use of multilevel theoretical frameworks enabled the identification, analysis, and categorization of macro-, meso-, and individual-level factors shaping sustainable consumption behavior across crisis phases. The findings reveal that research on sustainable consumption behaviour in crisis contexts remains limited and fragmented, with a strong dominance of individual-level determinants and relatively little attention to structural and contextual influences. The results further demonstrate that sustainable consumption is dynamic, shifting from emotionally driven responses in the reaction phase to more cognitive and evaluative processes in the coping phase, and eventually stabilizing into habitual and socially embedded behaviors in the adaptation phase. Building on these insights, the study proposes a phase-based conceptual framework that integrates key factors and their roles across crisis stages. The study shows that consumers’ attitudes and behaviors can be better understood through the lens of the crisis journey and introduces a crisis-based customer journey map for sustainable consumption.