14 sd sust consumption

8/2/2019 14 SD Sust Consumption

1/38

SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTIONAND PRODUCTION

Dr. Kurian Joseph

Assistant Professor in Environmental Engg.Centre for Environmental StudiesAnna University,Chennai-600 025

Phone: 91-44-22301283

Fax : 91-44-22354717E mail: [email protected]


2/38

Consumption, Production andTrade

Consumption is the Process of satisfying

human wants

Production is a pre requisite for

Consumption Trade is a link between production and

consumption


3/38

Sustainable consumption is an

umbrella term that brings togethera number of key issues

meeting needs, enhancing the quality of life, improvingresource efficiency, increasing the use of renewal energysources, minimising waste, taking a life cycle perspectiveand taking into account the equity dimension.

Integrating these component parts is the central questionof how to provide the same or better services to meet thebasic requirements of life and the aspirations forimprovement for both current and future generations,

while continually reducing environmental damage andrisks to human health.(www.iisd.ca/linkages/consume/oslo004.html)


4/38

Sustainable Production

There is no

Sustainable Consumption without

and vice versa

Consumption Production


5/38

Production ConsumptionProducts

Production

ProductionProduction

Production

Consumption

Consumption Consumption

Consumption

Consumption and Production -

A Complex System


6/38

Drivers of environmentaldegradation

The proximate drivers of environmental

degradation are population growth,technology and consumption choices, andpoverty, leading to changes in relationsbetween people and ecosystems, anddevelopment activities such as intensive

agriculture, polluting industry, andunplanned urbanisation.


7/38

Drivers of environmentaldegradation

These factors give rise to environmental

degradation only through deeper causal linkages,in particular institutional failures, resulting in lack ofclarity or enforcement of rights of access and use

of environmental resources, policies which providedisincentives for environmental conservation,

market failures and governance constraints


8/38

Population, Consumption &Environment

Population is not the main problem ofenvironmental degradation, but ratherthe consumption and production

patterns. Need for inter- and intra-generation

equity.

Need to meet the basic needs of thewhole population (food, shelter, health,

education, clothing).


9/38

Consumption Pressure : burden placed

on the environment by people, 1995


10/38

1900 21002002 2050

If we go on with current production and consumptionpatterns,

Two planets are needed by 2050


11/38

THE FACT

In a world of limited resources and limitedwaste assimilation capacity, excessconsumption by the rich literally requires

that others live in poverty if we are not toexceed the Earths physical carryingcapacity.

"There is enough on earth

for everybody's need,but not for everyone's greed."


12/38

The Three Underlying Causesof Environmental Harm

Environmental Harm

f Population Affluence Technology(which oversimplified yields)

EH = P x A x T


13/38

Environmental impact is the product ofpopulation, multiplied by consumption per

person, multiplied by the amount ofresources needed or waste created bytechnology to produce the amount of

consumptionI = P x A x T

or

Impact = Population x Affluence xTechnology


14/38

Factor 4 to Factor 10 More than 80% of the products we buy are discarded after a

single use.

Almost 99% of all the original materials used in the production

of or contained within goods in the U.S. become waste within 6

weeks of sale.

Only 3% of the energy generated at a power plant ends up aslight in incandescent fixtures.

80-85% of a cars fuel is wasted in the engine before it gets to

the wheels.

The amount of wasted materials and energy impoverishes

families, reduces competitiveness, imperils our resource base,

poisons water, air, soil, and people, and suppresses employment

and economic vitality.


15/38

All people need to:

adapt the production systems to use resources moreefficiently so as to provide us with food, energy, rawmaterials and water

consume our natural resources more carefully andefficiently;

minimise consumer waste and maximise recycling;

eliminate the use of toxic chemicals;

close the gap in consumption between rich anddeveloping countries;

provide health care and birth control facilities for all;and

protect, manage and restore the natural ecosystems


16/38

Changing unsustainable patterns of

consumption and production

Identify specific activities, tools, policies, measures and monitoringand assessment mechanisms, including, where appropriate, life-

cycle analysis and national indicators for measuring progress,bearing in mind that standards applied by some countries may beinappropriate and of unwarranted economic and social cost to othercountries, in particular developing countries

Apply the polluter-pays principle Develop awareness-raising programmes on the importance of

sustainable production and consumption patterns

Develop and adopt, where appropriate, on a voluntary basis,

effective, transparent, verifiable, non-misleading and non-discriminatory consumer information tools


17/38

Changing unsustainable patterns of

consumption and production

Increase investment in cleaner production and eco-efficiency

Enhance corporate environmental and social responsibility andaccountability

Encourage relevant authorities at all levels to take sustainabledevelopment considerations into account in decision-making

Promote an integrated approach to policy-making at the national,regional and local levels for transport services and systems

Prevent and minimize waste and maximize reuse, recycling and useof environmentally friendly alternative materials

sound management of chemicals throughout their life cycle


18/38

Sustainable Consumption

is ...

more than consuming green

meeting basic needs

about changing patterns,

not doing without responsible consumption

consuming differently, efficiently !!


19/38

What is SustainableConsumption?

the use of services and products whichrespond to basic needs and bring a betterquality of life while minimizing the use ofnatural resources and toxic materials as well

as the emissions of waste and pollutants overthe life cycle of the service or product so as tonot jeopardize the needs of future

generations.UN CSD, 1995


20/38

Consumption Optimisation Different consumption

what changes in choices and infrastructure willsatisfy consumer demand more sustainabilily?

Conscious consumption

How can consumers increase their quality of lifeby choosing and using more wisely?

Appropriate consumption

Are consumption levels sustainable? Isconsumption the best way to achieve every type of

quality of life?


21/38

Sustainable Consumption

Key Issue What is the extent to which necessary improvements in

environmental quality can be achieved through thesubstitution of more efficient and less polluting goodsand services(patterns of consumption), rather thanthrough reductions in the volumes of goods and servicesconsumed(levels of consumption)?

Political reality in democratic societies is such that it willbe much easier to change consumption patterns thanconsumption volumes, although both issues need to beaddressed.

(www.iisd.ca/linkages/consume/oslo004.html)


22/38

GREEN COMSUMERISM Green Consumerism is where people

purchase or participate in goods orservices which attempt to replace existingones with something designed to be

'friendlier' and less damaging toecosystems and natural planetarydefences.


23/38

An Ecological Analysis of

Consumerism

Environ-mental Damage

Does the production or extraction of the materialsused damage the environment?

Does the processing, transportation or storage of theproduct pollute the environment?

Is the product advertised in a way that damages theenvironment - for example by visual pollution?

Is the environment damaged by the actual use of the

product? Does the product cause problems of waste disposal?


24/38


Consumerism Use of Resources

Are non-renewable resources used as a source, or in any of thestages of processing, transportation, storage, advertising, orretailing of the product?

Is there any unnecessary wastage of resources at any stage ofthe process?

Does the use of the product necessitate the further use of otherresources?

What provision is there for recovery, reuse or recycling ofresources from the process?

Could more ecologically sound materials be used, or moreecologically sound methods applied in the enterprise?

Could the product be more durable, or more amenable to repair,reuse or recycling?


25/38


Consumerism Physical/Mental Wellbeing

Is there the danger of physical harm or ill-health topeople in the various stages of production?

Do the various stages of production cause stress,anxiety or loss of self-esteem to the workers involved,or to any other people affected?

Is there a risk of physical danger in the transportationor storage of the product?

Is the product advertised in a way that might inducefeelings of stress, anxiety or inadequacy in those

exposed to the advertising? Is the physical health of workers safeguarded during

the retailing process?


26/38


Consumerism Physical/Mental Wellbeing

Does the use of the product endanger thephyiscal/mental health of people

Does the disposal of waste pose any threat to thephysical health of people, either now or in generationsto come?

Are communities disrupted or displaced by theproduction of materials, or by the processing,transportation and storage of the product?

Are immigrant workers exploited at any stage of the

process? Do the product and its use reflect and enhance the

culture of the people and encourage a sense ofcommunity?


27/38


Consumerism Global Justice

Are the people and/or the environments of certainnations exploited for the advantage of others by theways in which the product is produced, transported,stored, advertised or sold?

Do the profits of the enterprise stay in the country? Is the enterprise locally owned and controlled, and do

profits benefit the local community?

Is the product available to all people who may need

it? Are waste materials exported unfairly to another

country?


28/38


Consumerism

Do people use this product in greater

quantities or more often than is needed tomeet human needs in an adequate way?

Does one's role as a worker in the

productive process, or as a consumer,enhance one's sense of 'ecological self' bystrengthening a sense of connectedness

with the natural environment, with otherpeople and with future generations?


29/38


Consumerism Use of Energy

Is there an unwarranted use of energy in theproduction of the material or in its processing?

Is the product transported or stored in ways that usetoo much energy?

Does the advertising of the product use too muchenergy?

In the retailing of the product, is much energyrequired ?

Is the product requires much energy when it is used?

Does the disposal of waste require much energy?


30/38


Consumerism Animal Welfare

Are animal products involved? If so, are the animalstreated will in the various stages of their purchase,holding and use? If animals are killed, is sufferingminimised?

Are animals used in testing the product? If so, howethical is their treatment?

Are animal habitats threatened by any stages in the

process? Are animal habitats threatened by the location or

process of waste disposal?


31/38

Driving Forces that Influence

Consumption

Economic: economic growth, disposable income and

prices, Demographics: single-person households, longer/healthier

lifetimes

Social: lifestyle and cultural tastes for diversity,individualism, working/leisure hours.

Education, Media and Information: environmental

awareness.

Existing technology and infrastructure, available productsand services.

Policy framework: economic instruments, regulations and

social tools.


32/38

Adopt patterns of production, consumption,and reproduction that safeguard Earths

regenerative capacities, human rights, andcommunity well-being.

Reduce, reuse, and recycle the materials used in

production and consumption systems, and ensurethat residual waste can be assimilated by ecologicalsystems.

Act with restraint and efficiency when using energy,

and rely increasingly on renewable energy sourcessuch as solar and wind.

Promote the development, adoption, and equitable

transfer of environmentally sound technologies.

Peoples Earth Charter: Principles


33/38

Adopt patterns of production, consumption,and reproduction that safeguard Earths

regenerative capacities, human rights, andcommunity well-being.

Internalize the full environmental and social costs of

goods and services in the selling price, and enableconsumers to identify products that meet the highestsocial and environmental standards.

Ensure universal access to health care that fosters

reproductive health and responsible reproduction.

Adopt lifestyles that emphasize the quality of life andmaterial sufficiency in a finite world.

Peoples Earth Charter: Principles


34/38


35/38

Sustainable Product Development

Resource-use Efficiency: in terms of both energy and materials used inthe manufacturing, the components production and the user phase. It alsoincludes the selection of materials, favouring the use of local, renewable,recycled and low energy materials and avoiding those which are scarce ortoxic materials.

Product Quality: includes the use, need and function of the product, thedurability, optimal life span, energy efficiency, proper use of materials andfinishing.

Production Organisation and Efficiency: includes optimised human andtechnical manufacturing processes in terms of resources, labour andmachinery,and the use and development of appropriate technologies andrenewable energy.

Local Culture and Capacities: includes the understanding and applicationof local culture and indigenous knowledge, local peoples needs, traditions,tastes and capacities (technical and economic) throughout the wholeprocess. Use oflocal products and favouring local consumption.

Market: includes the analysis and search of market opportunities that canmakethe process economically sustainable. End of life: includes considerations regarding the possible reuse,

disassembly,recycling and final disposal of the products.


36/38

Ecological design skills and

principles Use resources on a sustainable basis

Using only the interest on our ecological capital without using

up the capital.

Use the right tool for the job

We need to use many solutions for many-sided problems andalso acknowledge that whats right in one instance may not be

elsewhere.

Understand basic concepts such as cycles and flows

Work with whats really there.

Carefully monitor and streamline what goes in

in order to minimise unwanted waste and unintended effects.

Develop the habit of tracing the origins and future route of eachphysical interaction

to minimise the effects in the future.


37/38

Ecological design skills and

principles Acknowledge the uniqueness of each location

The qualities of a particular place make it suitable for some uses

but not others.

Use the simplest process or product to do the job

so that the environment benefits.

Use software (information) rather than hardware where possible

so reduce environmental impact.

Use design solutions that accomplish three or four things at once

For example, planting that conserves water, reduces erosion,soaks up CO2, and has a cooling effect in an urban landscape.

Account for costs with the full lifetime of the product in mind

so that full costs on health, quality of life, environment, etc are included.


38/38

We need to balance our social,economic, and environmentalobjectives in the short term, so thatwe can expect to sustain our

development in the long term.

In Short

Live simply so that all may simply live

14 sd sust consumption

Documents