Guilt and differentiation in social discourses on “green” consumption in Spain

Abstract

The aim of this article is to explore social discourse on “green” consumption in Spain by analysing how guilt and logic of practice are involved in this type of consumption from a psycho-sociological perspective. The empirical work was qualitative: we analysed 14 focus groups and nine interviews with “green” and “non-green” consumers from different social backgrounds. The results show that “green” consumption involves a dual process of social differentiation and guilt, especially in “greener” consumers from middle and middle-upper class social backgrounds, whose discourse is developed in socio-environmental terms. These findings question whether “green” consumption is an effective element within a transformative environmental policy.