Exploration of public discussion around sustainable consumption on social media

Fostering sustainable consumption is crucial and understanding the discussion about sustainable consumption on social media serves this important goal. However, the literature lacks an up-to-date exploration of the topics and sentiments pertaining to the discussion about sustainable consumption on social media. In this study, to explore public discussion about sustainable consumption on social media, Twitter (currently X) posts (or tweets) were analyzed using topic modeling and sentiment analysis. The findings revealed that the discussion has a slightly positive sentiment and revolves around specific contexts of consumption (such as energy, fashion, plastic, and food consumption), issues of environmental and economic sustainability (such as circular economy and resource use), and sustainable cities, institutions, and regulation. Furthermore, public discussion about sustainable consumption mainly revolves around relatively minor changes to current consumption patterns and levels. This study contributes to literature on sustainable consumption and provides practical implications for those interested in fostering sustainable consumption.