Sustainable Consumption: The Responsibility of Consumers and Producers
Sustainable Consumption: The Responsibility of Consumers and Producers
The fact that the world is now facing massive population growth and overconsumption has made the threat of scarcity becomes never more real than before. The pressure to maintain sustainable consumption is echoing everywhere. This suggests the need for active involvement from the demand side of the market in safeguarding sustainability, through sustainable consumption. Attempting to align the understanding about sustainable consumption, in 1994, the Oslo Symposium defines sustainable consumption as: the use of goods and services that respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life, while minimizing the use of natural resources, toxic materials and emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle, so as not to jeopardize the needs of future generations. (Ministry of The Environment Norway 1994)
Extracting the above definition, this writing will critically evaluate on the statement that suggests “the responsibility of sustainable consumption practice bears by both consumers as the agent of demand and producers as the agent of supply”. In delivering the evaluation, firstly, this writing will address the role of consumers and producers towards consumption, followed by a discussion on the connection between consumption, production, and the environment. Further, this writing will then embody consumers and producers’ role as well as relationship into the notion of sustainable consumption. Finally, this writing suggests that sustainable consumption will never be achieved without the sound entanglement between consumers and producers as two major players in the market.
Consumers’ Role towards Consumption
In the market, consumers’ sovereignty plays a major role in the consumption cycle (Fuchs & Lorek 2005; Ikerd 2012). Indicating that consumer owns full control in deciding what goods and services to consume. Luchs et al. (2010) findings capture that preferences on consumption are
The fact that the world is now facing massive population growth and overconsumption has made the threat of scarcity becomes never more real than before. The pressure to maintain sustainable consumption is echoing everywhere. This suggests the need for active involvement from the demand side of the market in safeguarding sustainability, through sustainable consumption. Attempting to align the understanding about sustainable consumption, in 1994, the Oslo Symposium defines sustainable consumption as: the use of goods and services that respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life, while minimizing the use of natural resources, toxic materials and emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle, so as not to jeopardize the needs of future generations. (Ministry of The Environment Norway 1994)
Extracting the above definition, this writing will critically evaluate on the statement that suggests “the responsibility of sustainable consumption practice bears by both consumers as the agent of demand and producers as the agent of supply”. In delivering the evaluation, firstly, this writing will address the role of consumers and producers towards consumption, followed by a discussion on the connection between consumption, production, and the environment. Further, this writing will then embody consumers and producers’ role as well as relationship into the notion of sustainable consumption. Finally, this writing suggests that sustainable consumption will never be achieved without the sound entanglement between consumers and producers as two major players in the market.
Consumers’ Role towards Consumption
In the market, consumers’ sovereignty plays a major role in the consumption cycle (Fuchs & Lorek 2005; Ikerd 2012). Indicating that consumer owns full control in deciding what goods and services to consume. Luchs et al. (2010) findings capture that preferences on consumption are
References: Marchand , A & Walker, S 2008, 'Product Development and Responsible Consumption: Designing Alternatives for Sustainable Lifestyles ', Journal of Cleaner Production, vol 16, pp. 1163-1169.