Sustainable consumption and production

Abstract

The links between unsustainable consumption and the planet‘s environmental degradation are not new realizations, as they already underpinned the Club of Rome‘s ‘‘Limits to Growth Agenda 21’’ and the World Summit on sustainable development, but the urgency of climate change has fostered a renewed emphasis on finding a workable pathway towards sustainable consumption and production. Business as usual will lead to climate change that will not stabilize in the foreseeable future, possibly changing the capacity of the planet to support human life. The overarching hypothesis, which was emphasized at Rio ?10 Summit in Johannesburg, is that sustainable consumption can drive sustainable production and lead to structural changes in the world economy. Sustainable consumption by UNEP is defined as ‘‘the use of services and related products which respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life while minimizing the use of natural resources and toxic materials as well as the emissions of waste and pollutants over the life-cycle so as not to jeopardize the needs of future generations’’. In theory, sustainable consumption, by definition should lead to sustainable production, as someone concerned with sustainable consumption would not wilingly consume a product that was produced unsustainably, or service that was delivered in an unsustainable way. At the same time, Sustainable Production is defined by the Lowell Center as ‘‘the creation of goods and services using processes and systems that are nonpolluting, conserve energy and natural resources, are economically efficient, are safe and healthy for workers, communities, and consumers, and are socially and creatively rewarding for all working people’’. A rational systems approach for improving the chances for a long-term human existence on earth was elaborated by Friedrich Bio Schmidt-Bleek. The approach is based on the simple idea: