Ecological and Social Aspects of Sustainable Consumption and Gender-Based Differences

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 consumption process, 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.