Sustainable Consumption

What is Sustainable Consumption?

• Although its name is somewhat self-explanatory, sustainable consumption has a more detailed definition:
  • The consumption of goods and services that have minimal environmental impact, promote social equity and are economically viable whilst meeting basic human needs worldwide.

Considerations

• Sustainable consumption is not about consuming less but consuming differently.
• Consumers need to be encouraged to repair and reuse products rather than throw them away.
• Companies and organizations can help initiate sustainable consumption through campaigns and initiatives.
  • For example, many countries now have places to donate old clothes, allowing them to be reused or recycled instead of thrown away.

• Designers need to recognize the importance of consumerism as a staple in developed countries and as an ambition in many developing countries.
• Societies, particularly in developed countries, are throwaway.

Consumer Attitudes

• Consumers reactions to green issues vary and they can be classified into four categories: eco-warriors, eco-champions, eco-fans and eco-phobes.
• This is the same as in unit 9.

Eco-Warriors

• Actively demonstrate on environmental issues.
• Someone who cares about our environment so much that they take action themselves.

Eco-Champions

• Champion environmental issues within organizations.
• Attempt to introduce or create positive sustainable change in an organization.

Eco-Fans

• Enthusiastically adopt environmentally friendly practices as consumers.
• Somebody that only (or at least mostly) buys environmentally friendly products.

Eco-Phobes

• Actively resent to talk of environmental protection.
• Somebody who believes that environmental problems are irrelevant or blown out of proportion.

Product Labels

Eco-Labelling

• The labelling of products to demonstrate that they are better for the environment than other products.
  • For example PEFC, Rainforest Coalition, FSC, etc.

Energy Labelling

• The labelling of products to show how energy efficient they are.
• The label displays information in four categories:
  • the product's details
  • energy classification that show's the product's electrical consumption
  • measurements relating to consumption, efficiency and capacity, etc.
  • noise emitted from the product when in use

• The EU has a standardized energy label making it easier for consumers to understand their meaning and compare products from different contexts.

Creating a Market

• When creating a market for sustainable products some things should be considered:

Pricing Considerations

• Ensuring the products proved value-for-money to the customer.
  • Such as an eBike that uses cheaper lead-acid batteries vs lithium ion batteries.
• Long term costs.
  • For example incandescent bulbs are very cheap and long life bulbs tend to be more expensive.
  • But the incandescent bulbs need regular changing.

Stimulating Demand for Green Products

• Consumers must be convinced that the green product is of similar or better quality.
• Ensure that the product is competitively priced.

Production of Green Products

• Taking into consideration triple bottom line sustainability.
• End-of-pipe (taking care of waste caused by production) or better still radical change to manufacturing.

Pressure Groups

• Pressure groups are collections of individuals who hold a similar viewpoint on a particular topic, for example the environment, who take action to promote positive change to meet their goals.
  • For example Greenpeace, WWF and Friends of the Earth.

Characteristics of Pressure Groups

• Pressure groups, while not a market segment themselves, can have a significant impact on the market and perception of consumers thanks to their influence.

1. Pressure groups are not a market segment but they can influence the market and product cycle.
2. Some large organizations have evolved to inform consumers about environmental issues and ethical issues relating to the activities of certain multinational corporations.
3. These pressure groups are able to exert considerable influence to press for changes on these issues and to support or undermine development of specific technologies, for example, GM food production.
4. Consumer and environmental pressure groups can attract widespread support using the media (including social media).
5. Consumers have become increasingly aware of information provided by these organizations and, as markets have globalized, so has consumer power.

Effects of Pressure Groups

Environmental Protection

• Pressure groups can advocate for environmentally positive change by companies, organizations and governments.

• Examples:
  • Friends of the Earth campaigned for stricter pollution controls in the UK and globally.
  • Earthwatch conducts research and raises awareness on deforestation and climate change.

Animal Welfare

• Pressure groups can protest for animal welfare, such as preventing animal testing and poor living conditions for animals.
• Their protests can lead to positive institutional and organizational change.

• Examples:
  • The Born Free Foundation focuses on rescuing wild animals from captivity and campaigning against poor animal welfare.
  • The Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals advocates for better conditions for farmed animals in the UK.

Social Welfare

• Pressure groups can work towards the welfare of people living in dire conditions, such as extreme poverty.

Advantages of Pressure Groups

• Pressure groups are a vital link with the government; they keep governments more responsive to the wishes of the community, especially in between elections.
• Pressure groups are able to express the views of minority groups in the community who might not otherwise receive a hearing.
• Raise public awareness of environmental issues.
• They can have large numbers of members that can exert pressure on political parties.
• They can have expertise related to the issues.

Disadvantages of Pressure Groups

• Some pressure groups are not democratic in themselves.
• Some have powerful, but unrepresentative leaders who may not be representative of anyone but themselves.
• Some leaders do not reflect the opinions of their organization's.
• They may be biased towards their cause – not looking at both sides.
• They are sometimes not objective.
• Sometimes they use extreme tactics or break the law.
• Opinions on issues may not be representative of the wider community.

Consumerism

• Consumerism is a social and economic order and ideology that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever greater amounts.

Ethical Consumerism

• The practice of consciously purchasing products and services produced in a way that minimizes social and environmental damage, while avoiding those that have a negative impact on society and the environment.

• Some companies incorporate ethics into their corporate strategy and designers need to work within such constraints.
• They aim is to curb and manage Western consumption while raising the standard of living of the developing world without increasing its resource use and environmental impact.

Ethics

• Ethics involves concepts of right and wrong, fair and unfair, moral and immoral.
• Beliefs about what is ethical serve as a moral compass in guiding the actions and behaviors of individuals and organisations.

Corporate Strategy

• Corporate strategy refers to a company’s planned approach to the future.
• It often involves goals that are short or long term; environmental, financial or examine external factors such as competition.
• In simple terms it is a company’s strategic vision.

Working within Constraints

• The expectation of designers is that they work within what is ethically acceptable.
• Designers will also need to make sure the products they design are aligned with the corporate strategy or long term vision of the company.

Managing Western Consumption

• Consumption is driven by the biological need in humans for protection and safety.
• However, we need to be aware that consumption has become greater that what is required to address our basic human needs and become more controlling of our behavior.

Raising the Standard of Living of the Developing World

• The Human Development Index (HDI) is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, standards of living, and quality of life for countries worldwide.
• It is a standard means of measuring well-being, especially child welfare.

Take-Back Legislation

• Laws that require manufacturers to "take-back" packaging and products at the end of use, requiring manufacturers to take responsibility for their disposal.
• Reasons for this legislation include to encourage the design of products and packaging that are easily and efficiently recycled, and to reduce waste.
• As a company has to "take-back" what would normally be thrown away, it is encouraged to recycle or reuse it to cut down on costs of managing the waste.

• Examples:
  • In Sweden producers and importers must take back for free a piece of old equipment (all electrical household appliances) when the customer buys a new product.
  • The UK government issued a legislation requiring car manufacturers and vehicle importers to take back old vehicles and ensure are disposed without harming the environment.

Design for Disassembly

• Designing a product so that when it becomes obsolete it can easily and economically be taken apart.
• The components reused or repaired and the materials recycled.
• Take-back legislation encouraged design for disassembly, so that it is easier to manage taken-back products.

Impact on the Designer

• Take-back legislation creates several constraints the designer has to consider when making a product:

• Consider cradle to grave versus cradle to cradle.
  • Cradle to grave is when the process of a product being made and eventually reaching the end of its product lifespan.
  • In cradle to cradle, once a product reaches the end of its lifespan, it can be remade or reused, starting a new "life".
• Consider recyclability or re-use.
  • The recyclability or re-usability of materials in a product needs to be considered.
• Consider design for disassembly (DfD).

Impact on Companies

• Take-back legislation can be difficult for companies, especially those used to having a lot of waste.
• It forces them to change and adapt to cut costs:

• Added costs due to paying for products to be returned and recycled.
• Interest in DfD and recyclability since they are most likely the ones pulling it apart and recycling or reusing.
• (Re)consider manufacturing techniques.
• (Re)consider material selection and reduction in products.
• Collection systems need to be developed.
• Manage the waste themselves or have a third party do it.

Impact on Users

• While take-back legislation might result in additional costs and difficulties for the user, it can also come with benefits:

• The extra costs may be passed onto the consumer.
• The consumer must return the product.
• The consumer can rest assured that the environment is considered.