Sustainable

Consumption

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Contents
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………… 2
The Sustainability Challenge………………………………………………………………….2
Over Consumption - a growing problem……………………………………………….3
Moving to a Low Energy, Circular Economy………………………………………….4
The Consumer’s Role…………………………………………………………………………….5
1. The choices we make……………………………………………………………….5
2. The way consumers use products and services………………………..6
3. How consumers disposal/ reuse products………………………………..8
4. Calling for change.………………………………………………………………….10

What do Consumers need…………………………………………………………………..10

The role of consumer organisations…………………………………………………….11
World Consumer Rights Day………………………………………………………………..11

Introduction

We need drastic action to address the global crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. To do
this we need to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, waste and resource use from across all
sectors.

As the consumer movement, we can add particular value by focusing on the sectors that involve
consumers as end users, where legislation is created and where consumer organisations have
the experience, expertise, legitimacy and space to act – energy and food being two of the
largest. This is also where the consumer movement could have the biggest impact.

This briefing focuses on the role that consumers can have to create change and help build
towards a more sustainable, circular model of consumption.

The Sustainability challenge

We are currently locked into a fossil-fuel based, high-waste model that ties growth to resource
use. It is vital that our global model of consumption is changed. But that it is done in a way that
supports, rather than undermines, progress on the challenges of poverty, hunger, inequality,
poor health and inadequate housing. These problems damage communities across the world
and are felt most keenly in the global south – also where climate change is having a huge impact.

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Global commitments
Leaders from around the world have come together to address the climate crisis and biodiversity
loss. The most important of these global commitments are:
• Climate goals (Paris 2015) - The Paris Agreement aims to keep the global temperature
rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue
efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
• Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDGs) - the SDGs are an ambitious set of 17 global
goals with targets for 2030 that set out a new paradigm for economic and social
development and contain many goals related to environmental challenges.

However, we are predicted to fail in meeting all of the sustainable development goals, and the
Paris Agreement. To change this requires speed, multilateral action, and intensive global effort.

What is sustainable consumption?

Sustainable consumption aims to increase resource efficiency and fair trade while helping to
alleviate poverty and enable everyone to enjoy a good quality of life with access to food, water,
energy, medicine and more.

Sustainable consumption will not only help us ensure that a world exists for future generations,
but it can deliver more immediate benefits. For example, supporting people to turn away from
poor quality, unsafe biomass fuel will not only benefit the environment but peoples’ health.

A just transition
A transition to a more sustainable economic model can happen in an
equitable or inequitable way. We believe as well as safeguarding our essential "What the citizens of
natural resources, any transition also needs to deliver social justice, human the UK believe they
rights and needs. send for recycling is
actually dumped in our
country"
Any future system must offer fair prices, safe and high-quality products, open
Malaysian Minister,
access, respect for human dignity and privacy as envisaged by the core
Yeo Bee Yin.
consumer rights and needs.

It must not have any inequitable mechanisms, unfair incentives or punishing options and instead
must engage and motivate consumers, making sustainability the easy and fair choice. Not doing
this increases the likelihood of a backlash against sustainability efforts and leaving consumers
behind.

Over Consumption - a growing problem

If everyone lived the lifestyle of the average person in western Europe, we would need three
planets to support us, while American lifestyles would require five planets.

As people in emerging economies have increasing disposable income, we are seeing more
demand for consumer goods taking further resources out of the planet. Earth Overshoot Day,
the day of the year we consume all of earth's resources has been getting earlier and earlier. In
2019 it was 29 July. Everyone needs to reduce the amount they consume and change the ways
they do it.

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Moving to a LOW ENERGY, circular economy

An answer to the problem of over consumption is to move to a circular

economy model. This moves away from "take, make, dispose" model to ‘Decoupling economic
one where waste is designed out of the system, and a model of reuse and growth from resource
regenerate is used. This means using less, more efficiently, as well as use is one of the most
designing products that can be repaired, reused or remade. critical and complex
challenges facing
If used, this model would help reduce climate change and reverse humanity today.’
biodiversity loss. There are already some good examples of companies Report of the UN Secretary-
taken on this model. For example Timberland is making shoes out of General
recycled tire rubber, DyeCoo has developed a way of dyeing cloth that The Sustainable Development
doesn’t need water, and uses no chemicals, other than the dyes Goals Report 2018
themselves.
See The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP)’s circular economy diagram for a
visual representation of this concept.

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The Consumer’s ROLE
People across the globe are starting to understand the urgency of the For the goals to be reached,
environment crisis and already see it as one of the major threats to their
everyone needs to do their
country, concerns which have risen significantly since 2013.
part: governments, the
Consumers are an essential component of any system of production and private sector, civil society
consumption and are critical to the success of any change. and people like you.

The choices you make as a consumer are an opportunity to influence the The United Nations
world around you and drive change. Some key ways consumers can influence
the world around them are: through their choices of what products and
services to use, how they use them, how they dispose of them when they come to the end of
their lifecycle, and pushing for system change from supply chains or changes in regulation.

However, even as a powerful economic group within the current model, consumers do not always
have the ability to influence the system at the scale required. Understanding and unlocking
consumers’ ability to influence the system more will help deliver faster and more meaningful change.

A system refers to all the parts of an industry – from production, retail, consumption and
disposal. It addresses at the interlinks between the different points and takes an overview of
the whole process.

1. The choices we make

Demand for sustainable products is increasing – particularly Households consume 29 per

amongst younger consumers. A global study found that 66% of cent of global energy and
consumers say they’re willing to pay more for sustainable brands. consequently contribute to 21
However, various studies find the actual purchases of sustainable per cent of resultant CO2
products to be in the 20-30% range (here and here). emissions.
The United Nations
Generally, sustainability is not the easy choice for consumers and
requires effort on their part to research or identify the right
purchase, changing behaviour or requires paying more.

Consumer choice has a power outside of the actual purchase. By calling for better infrastructure
around your sustainable purchase you can encourage further uptake of sustainable products. For
example, if you buy a reusable water bottle, you may then call on your local government or business
to provide free water for you to fill it up. Once more places provide free water, more people buy
reusable water bottles. Consumers are a powerful piece of the circular economy.

Barriers to consumers choosing the sustainable option must be broken down, whether this is
increasing access, affordability and meeting consumers’ needs.

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2. The way consumers use products and services

Energy
Access to energy is one of the key drivers of inclusive growth but energy production and use is also
one of the major contributors to GHG emissions and climate change.

In many less economically developed parts of the world, some consumers have no access to energy,
In Africa just over 40% have access, and globally around three billion people rely on health damaging
fuel fires. Critical issues include uncertain supply and prices, particularly in places that are heavily
dependent on energy imports or where there is the risk of extreme weather.

However, renewable energy is growing (7.9% in 2018) – a third of global power capacity is now based
on renewable energy. But making the switch to renewable energy can be a daunting task for
consumers.

Consumers need to have easier access to safe, sustainable and affordable energy, with clear
information about ways to reduce their energy use.

Our Dutch member

Consumentenbond runs an
energy collective, where
consumers come together for
greater bargaining power.
Energy companies bid for their
collective business, with the
winning provider committing to
supply 100% European green
Our Yemeni member
energy.
campaigned on the
safe use of solar energy
systems as a solution
to energy problems
faced by consumers,
especially during the
conflict in the country.

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Food Global food production
Food systems contribute up to 37% of global greenhouse gases. Food
threatens climate
production, especially animal agriculture, is causing high energy
stability and ecosystem
consumption, deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and excessive water
use. 60% of our plastic, much of which comes from the food industry, ends resilience and
up in landfills or our environment. Farming and agriculture have played a constitutes the single
part in the significant loss of soil biodiversity and genetic diversity in crop largest driver of
and livestock species. Of the 6,000 plant species cultivated for food, only environmental
nine account for 66 percent of total crop production. These challenges are degradation and
exacerbated by the fact that by 2030, the world will need to feed an transgression of
additional one billion people globally. planetary boundaries.
Eat Forum, Food Planet
Consumers can play a role by eating seasonal, locally grown food, with less Health
animal products, and by buying food from producers who use more
sustainable practices. For example, a plant-based diet cuts the use of land by
76% when compared with eating meat, so replacing the amount of meat
you eat with alternative protein sources is one way to be more sustainable. But meat
consumption is growing in some areas of the world. In Asia it is predicted to rise 78% by 2050
(although still only bringing meat consumption to around current North American levels).

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 OCU, Spain ran a consumer
CPAG in Gambia educates
education campaign on food
consumers about
waste and seasonal eating that
ecologically friendly
reached 19,600 people. OCU
foods, and builds
produced promotional
awareness of the health
material including leaflets,
and environmental
games, recipe suggestions for
effects of pesticide use in
re-using leftovers and
farming.
calendars showing when to
buy seasonal fruit, vegetables
and fish.

3. How consumers dispose/ reuse products

On average people generated 0.74 kilogram of waste a day, about the weight of two full cans of soup.
Countries with high incomes (16% of the world’s population), generate 34 percent of its waste.

• Global waste is expected to grow to 3.4 billion tonnes by 2050, more than double population
growth over the same period.
• 30%- 40% of all food produced worldwide is lost or wasted.
• Globally only 9% of all the plastic ever produced has been recycled, 79% is in landfills,
dumps or the environment and 12% has been incinerated.

The World Bank

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 E-waste

50 million tonnes of e-waste is produced each year. This is predicted to rise to 120 million tonnes by
2050. E-waste releases a number of highly toxic chemicals, effecting both the area where it is stored
and the people who are responsible for processing it. Researchers recently found eggs from chickens
from the Agbogbloshie area in Ghana’s capital, Accra, where residents break up waste to recover
metals, contained 220 times the European Food Safety Authority limits on chlorinated dioxins, amongst
other harmful substances.

If we were more efficient with our e-waste, not only would we remove a significant polluter from the
environment but we could recoup some of the material value of our spent devices, globally this
amounts to $62.5 billion.

“It is hard to imagine even 50 million tonnes, yet this is equivalent in weight to 4,500
Eiffel Towers, enough to cover an area the size of Manhattan - and that’s just one year’s
worth of the e-waste we create.”
Blog for World Economic Forum by: Guy Ryder, Director-General, International Labour Organization
(ILO) Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

Altroconsumo in Italy asked 200

consumers who were about to change
their old electronic appliances to add a
GPS tracker. They found that despite
consumers thinking they were disposing
of them responsibility, 40% of the
products they tracked were not taken to
CEJ in Mexico put environmental
appropriate recycling sites. This research
pollution and organic production on the
added to the evidence that more
agenda of public debate. Through a series
stringent controls are needed for e-waste
of radio shows and school workshops,
disposal. Altroconsumo are now
CEJ were able to help consumers and
communicating with the Ministry of the
producers alike understand that
Environment on what a solution could
significant organic production will not be
look like.
possible in Guadalajara if the pollution of
the Santiago River is not addressed. They
managed to negotiate with local schools
to perform workshops and talks in almost
20 elementary schools and high schools
in the Upper Santiago River Watershed,
discussing the theme of this initiative
with students and professors.

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4. Calling for change

73% of consumers say they would definitely change their consumption habits to reduce their
environmental impact, but there are a number of barriers in the way – price, access, information
overload. Consumers can call for change on these barriers, they can demand more supply chain
transparency, they can lobby Governments to implement legislation or incentives for better practice.
Consumers are already very active on environmental issues – with climate strikes and boycotts of
unsustainable brands, and this has huge potential to go further.

WHAT DO consumers NEED

To be able to make the environmental choices we all need to make, consumers need access, and
information. There also needs to be the infrastructure behind the scenes that matches the
commitment that consumers are making. Sustainable consumption needs to be the easy choice.

We need to work to reduce the confusion around how to buy sustainably by ensuring that
producers, retailers and policymakers do all they can to make products safe, durable and
resource-efficient; before providing clear, reliable information to guide consumer choice.

New technologies

There are major challenges up ahead and we will need new technologies to support us to meet them.
Some of the ways technology can support more sustainable consumption:

• Creating lab grown or plant-based meat alternatives

• Smart energy metres to monitor individuals and city-wide energy consumption
• Electric cars
• IoT sensors helping energy companies reduce emissions (and eliminate waste of saleable gas
at the same time).

Consumers Association of Penang

Our Belgian member Test-
(CAP), Malaysia is committed to
Achats/TestAankoop is responding to
tackling decreasing levels of
the challenge of e-waste with a web
biodiversity by promoting seed saving
reporting tool called Trop-vite-use to
and sharing among farmers,
create an evidence base of products
gardeners and the public. They are
which people think have worn out too
aiming to reintroduce traditional
quickly. This will help advise
hardy varieties of seeds, minor crops,
consumers on what to buy and
local species of vegetables and rare
demonstrate demand for longer
herbs. CAP hosted a seed sharing fair
lasting products to manufacturers.
for gardeners and farmers in 2018,
with an online seed sharing network
established afterwards.

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The role of consumer organisations
Consumer protection, and the consumer movement can play an important part in building a more
sustainable world.

Consumer protection and empowerment has always been inherently concerned with achieving
healthy, sustainable environment, fair resource allocation and economic systems that work for people
as consumers.

The consumer principles as defined by the UN can also be a useful tool when arguing for a more just
transition to a sustainable, circular economic model.

Some of these explicitly mention sustainable consumption, others are critically important when
thinking about meeting SDGs and circular approaches.

• Access to essential goods and services

• Protection of vulnerable and disadvantaged consumers
• Protection from hazards to health and safety
• Promotion and protection of consumers’ economic interests
• Access to adequate information to enable informed choices
• Consumer education, including education on the environmental, social and economic
consequences of consumer choices
• Availability of effective dispute resolution and redress
• Freedom to form consumer groups and organisations and present their views in decision
making processes
• The promotion of sustainable consumption patterns
• Protection in e-commerce not less than that afforded in other forms of commerce
• Protection of privacy and the global free flow of information

WORLD CONSUMER RIGHTS DAY

‘The Sustainable Consumer’ has been chosen by our Board and Council as the topic for World
Consumer Rights Day 2020.

World Consumer Rights Day will focus on involving and empowering consumers to make the
sustainable choices needed to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. We want to reduce the
confusion around sustainability by ensuring that producers, retailers and policymakers do all
they can to make products safe, durable and resource-efficient, and sustainability the easy
choice.

We are asking members to use World Consumer Rights Day as an opportunity to work with a
local school, college or university and organise a session with a small group to talk about
sustainable consumption. We will then bring the information together from around the world
to paint the global picture.

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