Sustainable consumption opportunities
Efficient and inclusive consumption Promoting sustainable consumption in a developing country calls for a ‘green leap’ that means leapfrogging resource-intensive ways of living and achieving efficient and inclusive consumption choices.
However, sustainable consumption should not be misinterpreted as a means to cut over-consumption of rich nations. Sustainable consumption permits everybody to meet their needs without generating negative environmental, social and financial impacts. “Sustainable consumption” does not automatically mean “less consumption” but rather more efficient, better-informed and less resource-intensive consumption. This applies especially to people living in poverty, often having a real need to increase their consumption of products and services. The overall aim of sustainable consumption is to enhance quality of life for all consumers – today and tomorrow, while minimising associated environmental damage. Switching what to buy, how to use, how to discard Sustainable consumption approaches can be driven in response to the product life-cycle related questions: What to buy? How to use? How to discard?
Consumers can be provided with guidance and support in response to these core questions at each stage of a product’s life-cycle. For example, at the point of purchase, special information instruments such as eco and fair trade labels can be helpful to identify responsibly produced products.
Consumption patterns...
Efficient consumption provide opportunities to meet needs and improve quality of life and productivity through consumption of products and services with equal or reduced resource use and environmental impact.
Inclusive consumption provides access to goods and services for people who have so far been excluded from them, especially to help them satisfy their basic needs, increase their well-being and raise their productivity.
Eco-design efforts can help to reduce energy intensity and material intensity during the use phase. 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) strategies are key for end-of-life treatment of products and services. The roles of business and government as consumers When talking about ‘consumers’, people often refer to individuals who are consuming goods and services. This view is limited as companies (manufacturing as well as service companies) and public and private agencies, including governments, are also consumers. Such institutional consumers are, by far, larger than individual consumers and can have an impact on the market situation for sustainable products and services significantly.