Varieties of sustainable consumption

Science and Practice, Theme 2Michal Sedlačko

Outline of the session

• what is sustainable consumption?• overview of ethical consumption practices– voluntary simplicity in focus– economic crisis – challenges and opportunities

• policy instruments to stimulate sustainable consumption

What do we mean by sustainable consumption?

• From the previous session: consumption can be understood as the following:– exchange of goods on the market, focusing on final

consumption by households– material provisioning, i.e. appropriation of material and

energy for survival and reproduction, drawing on ecosystem services

• Today we will be moving towards this definition:– social practices of individuals outside of their work

contexts that directly or indirectly involve transformation of material and energy through the acquisition, use or disposal of objects, services and places

What do we mean by sustainable consumption?

What would you say are attributes of a consumption that is sustainable?

What do we mean by sustainable consumption?

• consuming differently or consuming less?• environmental impacts or also social impacts?• making all acts of consumption political?• secure provision of key goods and services?• return to local traditions?• is it a state or a path?

What do we mean by sustainable consumption?

• What is positive about pursuing sustainable consumption (for individuals)? How to make it a desirable project?– how to avoid ‘allocation of blame’?– is there a ‘double dividend’ of consuming less, i.e.

would a decrease of consumption cause positive effects on well-being or happiness?

– how to persuade individuals that they will also benefit – materially, health-wise, emotionally...?

• How do we know whether we (as individuals) already consume sustainably?

What do we mean by sustainable consumption?

• why have ethical appeals on consumers largely failed so far?

• do consumers have to be willing allies in the project of sustainable consumption?• politically (SC project against their will or support)• in terms of efficacy (SC project through less obtrusive regulation,

regulation of producers, effects ‘behind consumers’ backs’)

• what would thus be the underlying understanding of consumers?• compare with the neo-liberal conception of the individual (both

consumer and voter): autonomy, sovereignty, self-responsibility, own utility maximisation independently of what other consumers do, economic calculation, model of the market

What do we mean by sustainable consumption?

• one of the key controversies: consuming less, or consuming differently (‘smart’)?

• Sustainable Consumption and Production and Sustainable Industrial Policy Action Plan by European Commission (2008): concept of “smarter consumption” in the context of the goal “to improve the energy and environmental performance of products and foster their uptake by consumers”– relies on efficiency gains to be achieved through environmentally

sound product design– favours gradual market transformation by promoting proliferation of

greener products– risks:

• rebound effect• neglecting of the scale/levels of material consumption• social dimension of sustainable consumption is not part of this concept

What do we mean by sustainable consumption?

• RESPONDER project definition:(1) a reduction of the overall consumption of resources to steer the socioeconomic system away from natural limits; (2) the ethical challenge of redistribution of resource appropriation from rich to poor within and between nations; and (3) the striving to achieve well-being, quality of life or a ‘good life’ (Buen Vivir)

Variety of ethical consumption practices

• alternative ownership arrangements (e.g. car sharing, communal cooking facilities)• development of alternative economic relationships and places (e.g. new

consumption communities, community-supported agriculture, local exchange trading schemes LETS)

• culture jamming (e.g. Adbusters)• boycotts of specific products (e.g. aerosols, GMOs) or companies (e.g. Nestlé, Shell,

BP)• product screening by consumers or activists (e.g. Green Consumer Guide, Ethical

Consumer, Ecologist)• green consumerism (e.g. electric car, eco labels)• footprinting (e.g. personal ecological footprint, life-logging)• offsetting (e.g. voluntary carbon tax for flights)• pledging (e.g. checklists, reminder web sites)• pursuing relationships with producers (e.g. fair trade, farmers’ markets)• resistance to consumption: voluntary simplicity, downshifting, anti-consumerism,

self-sufficiency (e.g. vegetarianism, no car and bike instead)• freeganism

Sustainability challenges by type of economy

Tukker et al. 2008

Resistances to consumption:voluntary simplicity

Scott Russell Sanders: 12 Ways to Simplify Your Life and Save the World:1. avoid shopping2. leave the car parked3. live in a nice neighbourhood (that will allow you to walk to stores or easily

access public transit)4. get rid of your lawn5. cut down on your laundry6. block junk mail7. turn off the TV8. communicate by e-mail9. don’t use a cellular phone10. drink water rather than store-bought beverages11. patronize your public library12. limit the size of your family

Resistances to consumption:voluntary simplicity

• Etzioni’s (1998: 620) definition: “the choice out of free will . . . to limit expenditures on consumer goods and services, and to cultivate non-materialistic sources of satisfaction and meaning”

• five themes of voluntary simplicity (Craig-Lees & Hill 2002):– freedom of choice to lead a simpler life– a reduction in material consumption– access to resources like wealth, education and unique skills

which can be traded for a high income– control and personal fulfilment– being driven by values such as humanism, self-determination,

environmentalism, spirituality and self-development

Voluntary simplifiers on Etzioni’s scale

• downshifters: moderate simplifiers, forgoing some consumer goods while maintaining the majority of their consumer lifestyle– controversy: conspicuous simplicity where old possessions are

replaced (possibly at great expense) with items that symbolise their new simplified lifestyle (Bekin et al. 2005)

• strong simplifiers: those who give up high-paying jobs in order to live on much less income, restricting their consumption accordingly

• holistic simplifiers: similar to strong simplifiers, but adjust their entire lifestyle to fit the voluntary simplicity ethic; this can involve moving house to a less-affluent area (perhaps rural) with the intention of leading a simpler life

Effect of the economic crisis on sustainable consumption

• Spain, Greece, UK marked turn towards:– politicisation of consumption– organic food (lasts longer, less waste)– urban agriculture (plus co-ownership as community food

growing)– revival of traditional skills (cooking and food conserving,

mending and maintenance)– focus on more durable goods– waste collection– collaborative consumption (sharing, pooling)– voluntary simplicity and downshifting

What are governments doing to promote sustainable consumption?

• when consumption understood as market exchange – an economist’s view:– information is not conveniently accessible → ‘deal

with information deficit’– prices are not right → ‘internalise external costs’,

‘remove perverse subsidies’• the problems:– losing sight of non-market consumption– false assumptions about individuals and their

motivations

What are governments doing to promote sustainable consumption?

• when consumption understood as material and energy flows through the society – a technician’s view:– the flows (inputs, outputs) are too high → ‘make the

system more efficient’• the problems:– neglecting the individual and the society (cultural,

social dimensions) and no understanding of human agency

– technological optimism

What are governments doing to promote sustainable consumption?

• when consumption understood as sociomaterial practices – a sociologist’s view:– the social and material structures do not lead their users

towards practices that would be sustainable → ‘redesign social and material structures’, e.g. practice-oriented product design, nudge tools (strategic combinations of framing, informing and encouragement)

• the problems:– theoretical attack on human agency and autonomy– working behind consumers’ backs smells of social

engineering

What are governments doing to promote sustainable consumption?

• awareness building– information campaigns– obligatory and voluntary product labels and

environmental performance standards (bio, organic, regional, Energy Star, CO2)

– personal calculators (footprinting)– competitions– corporate reporting

• development of competence– education and training (cooking courses)– counselling– advice targeted for situations when people

might need it (Munich’s public transport package for people who just moved into the city)

• regulation– ban of unsustainable products (Austria’s

GMO food ban)– ban on advertising– technology standards

• making sustainable choices easier– catalogues of sustainable products

(Austria’s bewusstkaufen.at)– subsidising sustainable products (e.g.

Canada’s ecoEnergy Retrofit scheme, France’s free bike program velib)

– congestion charge– household carbon accounts (individual

carbon trading) or bonus systems– rewarding sustainable consumer behaviour

(Netherlands’ green loyalty point system)• partnerships

– product panels– technology procurement

• working behind consumers’ backs– tax on unsustainable products (Denmark’s

junk food tax)– practice-oriented product design– nudge tools (trays in university mensas,

plastic bags in supermarkets)