User:BryanC194/Sustainable consumption

Article: Sustainable consumption

What I want to do

Edits:

• Remove any potentially leading or bias statements
• Rework introduction
• Review grammar

Contributions:

• Introduce historical implications and interpretations
• Introduce cultural shifts

- Edits

Rework Introduction

Edit: "From a conventional marketing..." To: Conventional marketing largely focuses on consumer behavior at the purchasing stage of the total consumption process.

Edit: "Yet from a social..." To: To be effective, consumer behavior could focus on all states of the consumption process to determine the overall behavior patterns of consumers.

Review Grammar:

Toward behavior change: contains grammar inconsistencies. View introduction paragraph, second, and third.

Most grammatical errors have been removed since the last time I reviewed the article. Stick to toward behavior change.

-Contributions:

The Oslo Symposium Definition

The Oslo symposium has defined sustainable consumption as the consumption of goods and services that enhance quality of life while limiting the use of natural resources and noxious materials.

Strong and Weak Sustainable Consumption

In 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also referred as the Earth Summit, recognized sustainable consumption. They also recognized the difference between strong and weak sustainable consumption but set their efforts away from strong sustainable consumption. Strong sustainable consumption refers to participating in viable environmental activities, such as consuming renewable and efficient goods and services (Example: electric locomotive, cycling, renewable energy). Strong sustainable consumption also refers to an urgency to reduce individual living space and consumption rate. Contrarily, weak sustainable consumption is the failure to adhere to strong sustainable consumption. In other words, consumption of highly pollutant activities, such as frequent car use and consumption of non-biodegradable goods (Example: plastic items, metals, and mixed fabrics).

The 1992 Earth Summit, found that sustainable consumption rather than sustainable development, was the center of political discourse. Currently, strong sustainable consumption is only present in minimal precincts of discussion and research. International government organizations’ (IGOs) prerogatives have kept away from strong sustainable consumption. To avoid scrutiny, IGOs have deemed their influences as limited, often aligning its interests with consumer wants and needs. In doing so, they advocate for minimal eco-efficient improvements, resulting in government skepticism and minimal commitments to strong sustainable consumption efforts.

Ecological Awareness

The recognition that human well-being is interwoven with the natural environment, as ell as an interest to change human activities that cause environmental harm.

Historical Behaviors Related to Sustainable Consumption

The early twentieth century, especially during the interwar period, founded an influx of families turning to sustainable consumption. When unemployment began to stretch resources, American working-class families increasingly became dependent on secondhand goods, such as clothing, tools, and furniture. Used items offered entry into consumer culture, as comforts were not always available. Not only were secondhand products an entry to consumer culture, they also provided investment value, and enhancements to wage-earning capabilities. The Great Depression saw increases in the number of families forced to turn to casted off clothing as attires became unsuitable. When wages became desperate, employers offered clothing replacements as a substitute for earnings. In response, fashion trends decelerated as high end clothing became a luxury.

During the rapid expansion of post-war suburbia, families turned to new levels of mass consumption. Following the SPI conference of 1956, plastic corporations were quick to enter the mass consumption market of post-war America. During this period companies like Dixie began to replace reusable products with disposable containers (plastic items and metals). Unaware of how to dispose of containers, consumers began to throw waste across public spaces and national parks. Following a Vermont State Legislature ban on disposable glass products, plastic corporations banded together to form the Keep America Beautiful organization in order to encourage individual actions and discourage regulation. Upon the organization’s adoption, the organization teamed with schools and government agencies to spread the anti-litter message. Running public service announcements like Susan Spotless, the organization encouraged consumers to dispose waste in designated areas. Proceeding mass media campaigns, trash disposal became a social phenomenon for consumption.

Recent Culture Shifts

More recently, surveys ranking consumer values such as environmental, social, and sustainability, showed sustainable consumption values to be particularly low (cite Scholte, 2000). Additionally, surveys studying environmental awareness saw an increase in perceived “eco-friendly” behavior. When tasked to reduce energy consumption, empirical research found that individuals are only willing to make minimal sacrifices and fail to reach the strong sustainable consumption requirements. From a policy perspective, IGOs are not motivated to adopt sustainable policy decisions, since consumer demands may not meet the requirements of sustainable consumption.

Ethnographic research across Europe concluded that post Financial Crisis of 2007-2008 Ireland, saw an increase in secondhand shopping and communal gardening. Following a series of financial scandals, Anti-Austerity became a cultural movement. Irish consumer confidence fell, sparking a culture shift in second-hand markets and charities, thereby stressing sustainability and drawing on a narrative surrounding economic recovery.

Sources:

Abelfatah, Rund & Arablouei, Ramtin. Host. “Reframing History: The Litter Myth” Throughline, NPR, 13 August. 2020.

Benson, S. P. (2007). What Goes 'Round Comes 'Round: Secondhand Clothing, Furniture, and Tools in Working-Class Lives in the Interwar United States. Journal of Women's History, 19(1), 17–31.

Fuchs, Doris A, & Lorek, Sylvia. (2005). Sustainable Consumption Governance: A History of Promises and Failures. Journal of Consumer Policy, 28(3), 261–288

Govindan, K. (2018). Sustainable consumption and production in the food supply chain: A conceptual framework. International Journal of Production Economics, 195, 419–431.

Murphy, F. (2017). Austerity Ireland, the New Thrift Culture and Sustainable Consumption. Journal of Business Anthropology, 6(2), 158.

Gatersleben, Birgitta, Steg, Linda, & Vlek, Charles. (1998). Measurement and Determinants of Environmentally Significant Consumer Behavior. Environment and Behavior, 34(3), 335–362.

Perrels, A. (2008). Wavering between radical and realistic sustainable consumption policies: in search for the best feasible trajectories. Journal of Cleaner Production, 16(11), 1203–1217.

Ruby, Matthew B, Walker, Iain, & Watkins, Hanne M. (2020). Sustainable Consumption: The Psychology of Individual Choice, Identity, and Behavior. Journal of Social Issues, 76(1), 8–18