Sustainable Consumption: A Demand Side Pathway to Sustainable Development
Abstract: Sustainable Development is a widely accepted approach to sustain economic growth without harming the planet or exhausting its resources while improving the quality of life for its current and future inhabitants. . Promoting sustainable consumption and production are important aspects of sustainable development. The term ‘sustainable consumption’ denotes the search for consumption patterns that reduce human pressure on the environment. It is not only about how much is consumed, but also about what is consumed, how it is consumed and who consumes. Consumers, businesses and governments are the major stakeholders in promoting sustainable consumption. Individual choices are constrained by a variety of social, institutional, and cultural factors. Consumers often find themselves ‘locked in’ to unsustainable consumption. Government intervention is vital to facilitate change. Increasingly sophisticated approaches are being used by governments to target policies to consumer groups based on better understanding of social and economic behaviour. The complexity and array of government tools and initiatives directed at sustainable consumption underline the need for more integrated programmes as well
…show more content…
. Promoting sustainable consumption and production are important aspects of sustainable development. Most of the government policies framed for launch the economy into a sustainable path of development possess a supply side approach that focus on reducing the environmental impacts of unsustainable industrial production practices, through regulations and taxes and other control mechanisms. Promoting sustainable consumption is equally important to limit negative environmental and social externalities as well as to provide market for sustainable
Bill McKibben and Derrick Jensen were born in 1960 in the U.S.A., and both have accomplished successful academic backgrounds. McKibben graduated from Harvard University in 1982, and Derrick Jensen graduated from the Colorado School of Mines with a degree in Mineral engineering in 1983. Both are environmental activists and have written many articles and books. Two of their articles “Waste Not, Want Not” by Bill McKibben and “Forget Shorter Showers” by Jensen are published in the Bedford Reader book (557-567). When we analyze these articles both authors agree on consumers contribution to environmental pollution, but they have different points of views concerning whether individuals or industrialists cause more environmental pollution.
The consumers have the ability to increase the environmental sustainability. When National Geographic researches about this issue, it got the statistic from many consumers around 18 countries (para.4.5). So it found a few of American consumers able to live sustainably, and they feel not so much guilt. In the contrary, the consumers of Chains and India promote to live sustainably, and they feel more guilt (para.6). However, the people cannot live sustainably without awareness about the sustainability and
Many locavores believe that transportation greatly contributes to higher greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, Source D clearly shows that for red meat, nearly 90% of the greenhouse gas emissions per year come from production, not transportation. As such, local communities must also determine not only where their food comes from, but how to produce and manufacture that food to have the least environmental impact. Otherwise, the locavore movement contributes effects that are just as detrimentally to the environment as any other form of production would produce. Likewise, individuals and restaurants must also be held accountable in a community in order to have a positive impact.
In the article ‘The Climate Crisis at the End of our Fork’ Anna Lappe, co-founder of the Small Planet Institute, has drawn on research to determine that a “full eighteen percent of the worlds global warming effect is associated with ‘land use changes’” (Lappe 753) such as livestock emissions and the destruction of rainforests. According to Lappe, these changes in land are used for livestock and pastures for cattle. This poor management of land significantly impacts climate change which produces food for consumers. Therefore, Lappe suggests that people look more closely at what they eat and where it comes from.
Kalista Cook Miss Grimes College Composition II 9 February 2023 Persuasive Techniques Used by McKay Jenkins and Anna Lappe The topics of food sustainability and agricultural awareness are incredibly important. Authors McKay Jenkins and Anna Lappe bring awareness to these topics in their articles Can GMOs Be Sustainable and The Climate Crisis and the End of Our Fork. In these articles, the authors address the negative impacts of the food and agriculture industry. More specifically, they attempt to educate on the importance of creating environmentally conscious eating habits.
I’m astounded by how different the views on consumerism are for people living in a developing country compared to a first world country like Canada. I only noticed how unacceptable my addiction to consumerism is when it was time to pack my luggage for the flight home and I wasn’t able to fit everything and thus I’m forced to leave nearly 70$ worth of goods behind. It was the first time where I legitimately felt unintelligent with what I was spending my money on and my relatives to this day create no shortage of teasing about it.
The growing concerns of consumers about sustainable products and services lead to legislative amendments and to new products and services that follow the regulations or have a pre-emptive role (Slavova, 2014). The purpose of legislation is to protect the consumers by set prices for consumer goods. Therefore, there will be better quality products, more choice and innovation, all of that is for consumers own benefits. Consumerism influences people’s characters causing poverty.
Consumption In Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World”, the concepts of consumerism and utopia are continuously compared and discussed in tandem with one another to decide if any correlation between them is present. Although people may argue that the humans belonging to the World State are happy, their lack of simple human pleasures such as love, religion, intellect, free will, etc, denies the people of actual joy. Since the government is what controls these pleasures by glorifying consumption, the World State’s culture and consumerism must interrelate. The government's control of common human experiences and characteristics such as love, pain, religion, and free will result in the total dependence on the state.
In the 21st century, we consume so frequently that we do not take notice; consumerism consumes us. Consumerism is an integral
Furthermore, it is noted that customers, particularly from developed nations like UK, France and Italy are more and more concerned about their health and the report on individual health expenditure over the last decade by OECD (2011) has confirmed that. The report shows that customers are becoming more inquisitive in the type, nature, origin and the processing method of materials in which, apparel and clothing firms uses in producing their product. Thus, demanding for transparency and accountability. Consequently, many customers have gone green and they are persistently advocating for sustainable and ethical activities of firms (Johansson, 2010; Pookulangara
To confront to this problem, Unilever would encourage workers to work longer or recruit migrant workers (Maestas and Zissimopoulos, 2010). However, with the fact that people are more concern about healthy and safe products, Unilever has successfully maintained high social and environmental standards by designing and producing that meet consumers’s needs. They have many effective activities including promoting sustainable development and utilisation of renewable resources. Therefore, it can not be denied Unilever has built its image as an environment friendly and socially responsible
This service helps the school, educators and parents to promote healthy eating habits among school students. There are variety of products such as bottled waters, juices, sports drinks and low calories carbonated soft drinks available for the school to decide where and when to sell. PepsiCo supports sustainable packaging policy, whereby they strive to lessen harm caused to the environment but yet still meeting the cost and performance criteria expected from consumers and customers. For example of PepsiCo sustainable packaging policy involves recyling materials, minimizing post industrial waste and achieving a lower carbon footprint. PepsiCo is aware of the differences in culture worldwide.
Around the world, about one-third of the food that we produce is wasted and the food wasted can feed more than 1.6 billion people (Royte, 2016). Food waste is an economic issue. In developed countries, consumers make a great contribution to food waste. In the United States, about 40% of the food is wasted and a four-person family loses $4 per day on waste food and the amount is about $1500 per year (Save the Food). If people can stop wasting money, they can use the money to improve their life in other aspects, such as entertainment, education, and health.
Sustainable development is a model that aims to link the idea of what is to be sustained, with what is to be developed, and focuses on three pillars, economics, social and environmental (Kates, Parris, and Leiserowitz, 2005; pp. 3). As a holistic approach it seeks to develop the three pillars, on a local, regional and global level. This paper will analyse the concept of sustainable development and the strengths and weaknesses of this approach will be discussed. Firstly, a background of this model will be presented, which will explore the three pillars. Secondly, the strengths and weaknesses will be evaluated, and lastly, a brief contrast will be provided of the opinions of sustainable development between the Global North and Global South.
Consumerism intrudes with the workings of society by overthrowing the standard judgment wish for an adequate supply of life 's necessities, a steady family and solid associations with a manufactured continuous journey for things and the purchasing power with little respect for the genuine utility of the item purchased. In today’s World World, there is a high level of consumption which has been described as a major threat on sustainability. Even though consumerism has positive effects like motivating people to work harder in order to improve their social status and well being, it has adverse effects on the environment and the social aspect of life. Consumerism, according to the new Oxford English dictionary, means the preocccupation of society with the acquisition of consumer goods. Sustainablity, on the other hand, according to the ‘brudtland report’ was broadly defined as Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.