The United Arab Emirates is home to around 11 million people, approximately 90% of whom are considered foreign workers. National policy agenda has incorporated recycling in several domains - including circular economy, waste management, and environment - yet the infrastructure, system, and practice are not yet well established. One critical step for recycling behavior to thrive is making it culturally relevant and tailored to the specific context of the Gulf region. Drawing on ongoing doctoral research, this investigation positions household recycling as an end stage act of consumption, specifically Willis & Schor’s (2012) concept of conscious consumption, and uses a sociological approach to uncover how it is experienced, practiced, and holds meaning. Importantly, the lens of conscious consumption frames recycling in such a way that its significance may emerge from either pro-environmental or pro-social origins. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, synthesizing a nationwide quantitative survey and personal interviews to examine these aspects among consumer class adults from the nation’s most prevalent diaspora groups: Emirati nationals, non-Emirati Arabs, South Asians, Southeast Asians, and Westerners. The results contribute to a growing canon of discard studies through its insights from the uniquely multicultural Gulf region and its attachment to conscious consumption behavior.

Authors:
Christine Hecht, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

About the Presenter(s)
Christine Hecht is a doctoral student of sociology. Her academic expertise and interest are discard studies; conscious consumption; community behaviors and social norms; and quantitative methods.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Wednesday Schedule

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