Ethnocentric attitudes and the development of sustainable consumption in Poland

The article presents the essence of consumers’ ethnocentric attitudes and their purchasing decisions, which affect the development of sustainable consumption. The definition of ethnocentric attitudes and sustainable consumption presented in the article has several common features which characterise consumers’ shopping behaviours. According to the data of the Central Statistical Office concerning foreign trade in 2014, Polish consumers do not purchase domestic products only, but they largely buy imported products. Limited purchasing of domestic products often leads to the abandonment of their production and undermines sustainable consumption. Sustainable consumption is characterised by balance between production, purchasing, consumption and simultaneous appropriate waste management. The main aim of this article is to demonstrate common features of consumers’ ethnocentric attitudes and sustainable consumption and to present these issues on the basis of selected data of the Central Statistical Office.