Abstract
<p>Global efforts to mainstream sustainable consumption and production increasingly depend on the capacity of governance systems, firms, and markets to align around systemic transformation. Yet sustainable consumption often remains difficult to operationalize, even where policy ambition and organizational engagement are strong. This study examines this policy–practice gap by conceptualizing firms not only as producers, but also as large-scale consumption actors.Drawing on institutional theory, the study introduces the concept of governance misalignment, defined as the divergence between policy expectations and the economic, institutional, infrastructural, and market conditions shaping firm behavior. Based on qualitative interviews with firms and policymakers in the United Arab Emirates food and clothing sectors, the findings show that sustainable consumption and production outcomes are co-produced through interactions among regulatory design, firm-level decision-making, supply chain capacity, infrastructure readiness, and consumer demand. Three forms of misalignment are identified: regulatory ambiguity, fragmented implementation, and competing institutional pressures. These dynamics constrain firms’ ability to move beyond symbolic compliance and limit the mainstreaming of sustainable practices, particularly where cost pressures, import dependence, weak demand signals, and uneven sectoral governance persist.The study makes three contributions. First, it advances sustainable consumption behavior research by shifting attention from individual consumer choice to systemic consumption processes embedded within firms and supply chains. Second, it develops theoretically grounded propositions explaining how governance misalignment shapes market-level sustainability outcomes. Third, it proposes a governance alignment framework comprising regulatory clarity, economic instruments, infrastructure capacity, and consumer engagement as practical pathways for more impactful and scalable sustainability transitions. By positioning firms as consumption actors, the study advances the field of research in sustainable consumption behavior (SCB) from individual behavior to systemic consumption processes, demonstrating that sustainable consumption depends on alignment across governance structures, firm-level decision-making, and consumer demand. Consequently, the study highlights how governance alignment can support the global mainstreaming of sustainable consumption and production amid accelerating climate, resource, and social challenges.</p>