Environmental activism and sustainable consumption: the mediating roles of materialism and cosmopolitanism in Canada and Spain

Purpose This study investigates the interdependencies among environmental activism, materialism, cosmopolitanism, and consumer responsibility for sustainable consumption. Specifically, it examines dual-pathways of activism's role in sustainability – weakening materialism and reinforcing cosmopolitanism – and how these dynamics vary across cultural and institutional contexts. Design/methodology/approach Grounded in Value-Belief-Norm theory, social representations theory, and institutional theory, we develop and test a cross-national structural equation model using representative survey data from Canada (n = 673) and Spain (n = 2,589). The model assesses direct and mediated pathways linking environmental activism, materialism, cosmopolitanism, and consumer responsibility for sustainable consumption. Findings Results reveal that environmental activism significantly predicts sustainable consumption behavior both directly and indirectly through value orientations. Cosmopolitanism acts as a value reinforcement mechanism, amplifying the activism–consumption link, while materialism operates as a resistance mechanism, weakening this link. These effects are context-dependent in that cosmopolitanism plays a stronger mediating influence in Canada, while materialism is more salient in Spain, illustrating how cultural and institutional environments moderate the pathways from activism to consumption. Originality/value Our research advances sustainable consumption scholarship by positioning activism as a driver of value change and by integrating culturally embedded value systems as mediators. It proposes a dynamic, context-sensitive framework that enriches the classic Value-Belief-Norm model and offers psychographically grounded insights for international market segmentation and strategy.