Exploring the Landscape of Pro-Environmental Behaviours and Sustainable Consumer Behaviours: Unveiling Priority Research Areas Through Bibliometric Insights

Abstract

Over the last decade, scholarship on pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) and sustainable consumer behaviour (SCB) has expanded rapidly, yet a holistic map of their intellectual structure has been missing. Drawing on 744 peer-reviewed articles indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection (2008-May 2024), this study applies the Bibliometric–Systematic Literature Review (B-SLR) framework and VOSviewer techniques—co-citation, bibliographic coupling and keyword co-occurrence—to illuminate how the field has evolved, who drives it, and where the next frontiers lie. Results reveal a near-exponential publication trajectory after 2019 and a moderate concentration of output in a handful of interdisciplinary journals (e.g., Journal of Cleaner Production, Sustainability). Although the United States and China lead in volume, England achieves the highest citation efficiency, underscoring unequal global influence. Eight keyword clusters emerge, ranging from multilevel drivers of everyday green action and values identity research to systems-level policy engagement, ethical/anti-consumption and household energy technology adoption. Co-authorship and country networks expose fragmented collaboration, with prominent gatekeepers but limited integration across regions and theoretical silos. Synthesising these patterns, the paper highlights three urgent research avenues: integrating motivational theories across the adoption–continuance cycle; contextualising SCB continuity in low and middle income settings; and embedding fine-grained behavioural parameters into socio-technical transition models. By providing the first science mapping analysis that bridges PEB and SCB, the study offers a consolidated knowledge base, identifies under-examined themes, such as post-purchase behaviour and collective efficacy, and proposes actionable recommendations for researchers, policymakers, and environmental advocates aiming to foster more inclusive and durable pathways to sustainability.