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We live in a consumer society when anything we want is available to us with a touch of a phone. We have the freedom of choice to buy anything we want and if we are not happy with the choice, we can choose again.
We assume that buying more goods will bring us the quality of life we want. The advertisements remind us of just that. Our homes have become fortresses and offer us anything we might possibly need instead of being a simple shelter. Some estimate that an average child in the western world might possess over 200 toys, sometimes getting to thousands of toys if all small details are counted. And it is not only children. Our homes are filled with appliances and gadgets that are waiting to be used: almost every house has a power drill, but they are only used from 6 to 13 minutes during their life cycle. Every year an average European uses 25 kilos of textiles, while at the same time discarding 11 kilos. 87% of used clothes are incinerated or landfilled. Only 1% of used clothes are recycled into new clothes.
Every item we have at home went through a long journey before getting to us. Some parts were mined or grown, painted, assembled with more parts from all over the world and finally delivered to us. We need to consider labour, environment and other conditions under which products are made like the destroyed natural habitat. We fail to include the environmental damage, which a product can cause, into the final price.
What is consumption?
Consumption is a social phenomenon that encourages people to consume products and services in great amounts. Even though consumption is needed to satisfy our basic needs for food and shelter, it is not limited to our survival. Consumption has become an important part of who we are, how we differentiate ourselves and how we fit into society. We use goods to communicate with each other about our status, our identity, social affiliation and even about our hopes, our dreams and our feelings for each other.
The topic of consumption can be extremely complex because it touches many parts of our everyday life, but it also leads to a discussion on the environmental and societal impact of our consumption. It is built on the idea of infinite growth and limitless resources. In the discussion on consumption, one might go as far as discussing western ways of living and why it might feel sometimes universal or natural or the only way to live. It also leads to the discussion on economic growth and the fact that we measure the success by indicators such as gross domestic product and salaries, not by people’s wellbeing. We also measure our own achievement by what we are able to buy. To reduce the ecological costs of consumption would mean to question the whole complex system, including consumer culture.
Why do we consume so much?
Because everyone does. Because ads tell us to. Because our economic system wants us to.
Because we believe that it brings us happiness. When we purchase something, it gives us a feeling of novelty, which explains why retail therapy works. The “American dream” of having a better and richer life has spread to other countries and changed the meaning to having more and faster. Possessions have become a status symbol and even something that defines our happiness and success. Consequently, it all has led to high household debt, unnecessary possessions, and a high environmental burden.
We live busy and stressful lives because we want to earn a lot, yet we end up going into debt and fail to have free time. We might be trapped in a cycle of “work and spend” which ultimately prevents us from working less hours. But more is not necessarily better. People should not be encouraged “to spend money they do not have, on things they do not need, to create impressions that would not last, on people they do not care about” (Jackson, 2010).
Why does it matter?
Many species on our planet are responsible for the healthy functioning of ecosystems such as purification of water or air, pollination, control of pests and diseases. We learn a lot from the environment when designing new technology or new medicine. When we destroy ecosystems and habitats to produce more goods, we create a threat for our own survival, well-being and prosperity.
Consumption levels have been growing in Europe and they are expected to rise even higher. 72% of global greenhouse gas emissions are related to household consumption. To take Finland as an example, Sitra estimated that the average annual lifestyle carbon footprint per person in Finland in 2017 was 10.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (comparing to 2 tonnes in India). According to the latest WWF report, Finland’s material footprint is seven times higher than the global boundary, which makes it the largest in Europe.
Overconsumption is the fundamental driver of climate change and biodiversity loss. The World’s high consumption puts our planet’s ecological balance at risk.
What brings us happiness if not more goods?
Wellbeing or happiness is an emotional state of pleasure, contentment and/or joy. Several common determinants of happiness have been identified across different cultures such as stable relationships, health, community and friendships but also social trust and personal autonomy.
The European Environmental Agency (2018) suggested that people's use of time can be a useful indicator of quality of life. Experiences and relationships with others can be an important factor in increasing happiness. I would like to note here that new experiences do not necessarily mean travelling since travelling is often associated with flying to another country. Instead, discovering a new part of your city, starting a new hobby, cooking a new recipe with friends and enjoying nature could be a more sustainable experience for us and our planet. We need to pause and think what is truly important, what makes us feel good in the long run.
In a world where global warming has become very visible and will affect our lives in one way or another, we need a shift in our consumption habits. We need to spread an alternative vision of good life.
Katja von Brandenburg is the founder of the Sustainability Community | Finland group.
The Community brings together people from different industries who are interested in sustainability topics. With the help of the Community she raises awareness on climate related issues and provides space for both discussions and actions. Katja von Brandenburg believes in a transdisciplinary approach, degrowth and shifting values from consumerism to the wellbeing of all humans and our planet.
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