This article focuses on the concept of the citizen-consumer to examine the role of consumption as a tool for environmental sustainability. An ethical view of both citizenship and consumption is introduced to assess the potential of the citizen-consumer as an agent for socio-environmental change. To this end, the notions of ecological citizenship and sustainable consumption are used as a framework for analysis. Ecological citizenship is described as an ethical account of citizenship aimed at changing behaviours and attitudes, and spreading environmental values. Sustainable consumption is an archetypical manifestation of ecological citizenship that seeks to nurture ethical and pro-environmental choices when making decisions in the sphere of consumption. Yet being an ecological citizen means more than acting as a consumer; in fact, citizen and consumer identities are sometimes in conflict. This conflict is explored in the context of environmental sustainability. Despite the tensions, a positive reading is suggested. This is based on the view that a particular account of the consumer should be part of green understandings of the citizen, that democracy and democratisation shall be extended to the sphere of consumption, and that equality is a necessary aspect of sustainable consumption.

This article focuses on the concept of the citizen-consumer to examine the role of consumption as a tool for environmental sustainability. An ethical view of both citizenship and consumption is introduced to assess the potential of the citizen-consumer as an agent for socio-environmental change. To this end, the notions of ecological citizenship and sustainable consumption are used as a framework for analysis. Ecological citizenship is described as an ethical account of citizenship aimed at changing behaviours and attitudes, and spreading environmental values. Sustainable consumption is an archetypical manifestation of ecological citizenship that seeks to nurture ethical and pro-environmental choices when making decisions in the sphere of consumption. Yet being an ecological citizen means more than acting as a consumer; in fact, citizen and consumer identities are sometimes in conflict. This conflict is explored in the context of environmental sustainability. Despite the tensions, a positive reading is suggested. This is based on the view that a particular account of the consumer should be part of green understandings of the citizen, that democracy and democratisation shall be extended to the sphere of consumption, and that equality is a necessary aspect of sustainable consumption.