In recent years, there has been growing interest in applying social practice theory to theorizing consumption, specifically in relation to transforming practices that have prob- lematic environmental impacts. In this paper, we address the questions: how do changes in practices occur, and what are the levers for influencing change towards more sus- tainable consumption practices? We argue that a view of agency distributed across people, things and social contexts is fruitful. We also explore learning through mem- bership in communities of practice, where people are involved in experiments with or exposure to new practices. We relate three case studies in the arena of food consump- tion practices then discuss the practicalities and pitfalls involved in translating social practice approaches into practicable recommendations for encouraging more sustain- able forms of consumption.