Professor Iain Black

Personal statement

My main areas of expertise and interest are in the fields of sustainable consumption and climate change, contributing to SDG’s 12, (Sustainable Consumption and Production), 4 (Quality Education) and 13, Climate Action.

My research focuses on why people choose not to consume (anti-consumption), deconsumerisation, responses to scarcity and why we say will act sustainably but don’t. This is known as the ‘Green gap’.   On these and related topics I’ve been published in top ranked academic journals including: Journal of Cleaner Production, Sustainable Development, Psychology & Marketing, the European Journal of Marketing, Marketing Letters, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Marketing Management and Journal of Consumer Behaviour.

I lead Strathclyde Business School’s sustainability strategy across the faculty and am PRME Director.  A main focus for my knowledge exchange activities is the Climate Solutions Programme https://www.climatesolutionsnetwork.com/ this is a partnership with the Royal Scottish Geographical Society that provides upskilling training helping managers develop the knowledge and skills required to meet organisational challenges from climate change.

I am a past Sustainable Consumption theme leader for the International Sustainable Development Research Society (ISDRS) and remain active within policy forums and charities including Common Weal and Friends of the Earth Scotland. My recent contributions to policy appear in; ‘Sorted: A handbook for a better Scotland’, ‘Our Common home: A Green New Deal for Scotland’, ‘Building Back Better: Principles for sustainable resource use in a Wellbeing economy’ and the Scottish Governments Climate Change Engagement Strategy. I was a member of the Circularity Gap Report (CGR) Scotland Advisory Group and currently sit on the Scottish Governments Global Footprint Outcome Working Group.