Sustainability Assessment Instruments for Consumers - A multi-domain review from industrial engineering to marketing

This study presents a multi-domain review of available sustainability assessment instruments which provide sustainability information for consumers. It covers both industrial engineering and marketing fields. It is found that only few of the indicators focus on the environmental and social performance assessment which fits consumers' interests. The study shows that gap exists between present sustainability assessment instruments and consumers. And we explored insights of consumer awareness on sustainability related information which provided by producers. Reasons of non-transparency from environmental concerns to consumer purchasing habits are analyzed. Furthermore, gaps between performance assessment instruments and consumers are further defined from several perspectives. Finally, suggestions for development of future theory and research are offered.