individual people´s relationships with their consumer goods
TRANSCRIPT
CARLOS BALLESTEROS
Individual people´s relationships with their
consumer goods
Consumption becomes what gives the final sense to human activity, because of it depends to meet oneself
life project.
Alfonso Rebollo, 2001 Estructura del Consumo en España
We have more food, more clothes, more cars, larger houses and fewer days of work per week, better work and, above all, better health. And, in spite of this, we are not more happy (...). If we want people to be happy, we need to know what conditions generate happiness and how to grow them Richard Layard, 2005Hapiness
Easterlin Paradox
Consumption phenomena explains our Society fundamentals
…is spread all over the world..
…is on the hand of a few...
..and measures exclusion in terms of the contribution to it
8 % of Europeans were severely materially deprived (Eustat 2012)
AROPE: cannot afford 4 out of 9
i) to pay rent or utility bills ii) keep home adequately warmiii) face unexpected expensesiv) eat protein every second dayv) a week holiday away from homevi) a car vii) a washing machineviii) a colour TV ix) a telephone
1.700 Million CONSUMERS
for ONLY ONE PLANET
Final consumption of food and drink, private transportation and housing lead to 70-80% of Europe’s environmental impacts. Meat and dairy consumption alone account for almost one quarter (24%) of all final consumption impacts. Domestic heating, water consumption, appliances and electronics account for 40% of Europe’s total energy consumption (with 67% of EU-27 household energy consumption linked to space heating
Car ownership in the EU-27 increased by 35% between 1990 and 2007.
EU-drivers own over one third of the world’s 750 million automobiles.
In the EU-27, approximately 60% of adults and over 20% of children are overweight or obese.
Veblen 1899 Aspirational consumption
Katona 1968 Improving social scale
Baudrillard, 1970 (Marcuse) Objects are meanings
Maslow 1975 Consumption to satisfy infinite needs
Bordieau 1988 Consumption builds self identity
Bauman 2000 Consumption builds sense (a culture)
Cortina 2002 Consumption builds citizenship
Micheletti 2003 Consumption transforms society
Almost everything we buy is not bought because what it can do, but because what it means for us.
Helps to build my identity
Links with my past (Nostalgia)
Comfortability (part of daily routines)
Provokes intense emotions
WE BUY MEANINGS
GlobalLocal
How do (are) you
• part of ?• feel part of?• take part in?• have part?
Liberal
Responsible
Reformer
Radical
Evasive
Europeans are satisfied with their personal life and believe they have control over how their lives develop.
They identify with their town, region and country and, the majority, with Europe also.
The family plays a vital role for Europeans• it is the most
important thing in their lives and also the group they trust most.
• They also express considerable trust in other close groups like friends, work colleagues and neighbors.
Europeans attach considerable importance to income, work and free time. Religion and political involvement come further down their list of life priorities.
Some emerging lifestyles & trends (1)
Some emerging lifestyles & trends (2)
Consumers
have a growing
interest in personal
health
increasingly appearance-
conscious
want healthy food that is also easy to
prepareIn a complex market
environment, look for
responsible brands they
can trust
Connected (SOLOMO)Smart Shoppers
(maximize individual ROI)
Ecocool
Working poor Dinkys &Sinkies Lohas
BOBOs Sharing Golden Senior
Adulteens (kidults) a Women B men
Some emerging lifestyles & trends (3)
Some emerging lifestyles & trends (4)
The rise of collaborative consumption (sharing, swapping, trading)• ownership of goods vs
access to goods and services
• passive consumers vs co-producers (prosumers)
More sustainable ways of utilizing products and services • efficient living (wasting
less)• different living (focus on
high quality goods and services)
• sufficient living (reducing consumption)
Community and city action that demonstrates the success of participatory approaches to sustainable living and mobility options• eco-towns,• sustainable city
initiatives• Transition Towns
Behaviour change at the household level shows
increasing willingness to invest in energy
efficiencies
The promotion of walking, cycling and public transport
at the municipal levels enables more healthy
living options
THANK YOU!