This article first analyses the distance between what people say and what people do in relation to sustainability in their daily lives; and, secondly, it tries to connect this knowledge to the design and development of sustainability policies. We have chosen a case study based on a sample of shopkeepers in the city of Barcelona, and their relationships with policies seeking to promote sustainability in the city (LA21). We have used an hybrid methodology called STAVE that combines the techniques of reconvened focus group and thoughtful iterative methods with an action research orientation. The results allow us to identify shopkeeper's predispositions towards sustainability, and to identify to what extent their discourses are consistent (or not) with their practices. Furthermore, the results show how municipal policies of the Local Agenda 21 can fit into everyday contexts of shopkeepers to promote progress towards sustainability in the commercial sector.