The message of the latest report on sustainable consumption should be taken seriously by policy makers

Our report on myths on sustainable consumption was presented at the Nordic Council of Ministers conference Medskapandets konst, which was held in Umeå, Sweden on 17-19 September, 2013. The presentation can be found here.

Eva Ahlner from the Swedish Environmental Agency has commented that:

– It is important that the message of the report is taken seriously. Myths need to be disspelled if we are going to see progress and success in our work with sustainable consumption. It is critical that policy-makers are aware about the myths and do not let the myths steer their decision-making.

More on this and the event see here...

Myths on sustainable consumption are disspelled in a fresh report from the Nordic Council of Ministers

I am delighted to announce the publication of the final report for the project "Improving Nordic policymaking by dispelling myths on sustainable consumption” in both English and Swedish. The reports can be downloaded for free from the Nordic Council of Ministers website. The policy brief is also available in English, Swedish, Icelandic and Danish, using the link above.

We hope you enjoy reading the reports and find them useful for your work.

We would like to thank all of you who have contributed to this project through participation in interviews, webinars, feedback at conferences etc. – your input has been invaluable. And of course thank you to the Nordic Council of Ministers for supporting and promoting this work.

The Role of Business in Promoting Sustainable Consumption: Airbnb

Our society is currently facing a continuously growing gap between our increasing consumption and the decline of natural resources and social equity. Using the ecological footprint as an indi-cator for this development, three or five planets Earth would be required if everyone was to adopt the consumption patterns and lifestyles of the average citizen of the UK or the US.

Many of the current business models have limited ability to address these sustainability chal-lenges. A paper written by a Master student from the IIIEE, Gabriele Schliwa, aims to present and analyse an example of an innovative business model that motivates, enables and shapes sustainable consumption and sustainable lifestyles. To examine a new business model the company Airbnb is chosen, which is an online community marketplace of peer-to-peer travel. The paper addresses the questions “Why do we need business models that address the con-sumption side?” and “In what way does the chosen example reduce environmental impacts as-sociated with consumption?” It discusses how alternative business models can be supported by policy and public.

If you are interested in reading the full paper, please contact Gabriele Schliwa at gabrie-le.schliwa.959@student.lu.se.

Disspelling the myths: our concept is catching on!

I will be participating in the Swedish Almedalen week where results of the project on dispelling the myths will be used in a discussion with EU commissioner Connie Hedegaard, director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre Johan Rockström, archbishop of the Swedish church Anders Wejryd, Svenska Kyrkan, and the Director of the Swedish Environmental Labelling organisation Ragnar Unge. Join us in the discussion if you are there, July 1, 14-15.30, Södra Kyrkogatan 13, Westanders trädgård, Visby, Gotland. More information about the event in Swedish can be found here.

Also our work on disspelling the myth about consumption behaviour is been taken up and now UNEP and the Switch-Asia programme are using the concept to brainstorm with Asian policy makers solutions to the myths about sustainable consumption in Kathmandu. Their myths are adjusted to the Asian context and address the following issues:

• Myth 1: Sustainable Consumption is against poverty reduction
• Myth 2: Informed consumers will consume sustainably
• Myth 3: Economic growth leads to improved wellbeing
• Myth 4: Small environmental actions lead to big changes

Improving Nordic policymaking by dispelling myths on sustainable consumption

Key messages from our study “Improving Nordic policymaking by dispelling myths on sustainable consumption” funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers are published

as Policy Brief

Key messages for policy-makers:

It is unrealistic to expect a sustainable society to materialise from current political strategies on sustainable consumption. The changes needed are significant, and the research explored in this study shows that policy makers have a plethora of opportunities to create positive change using strategies and tools synergistically.

Our society is consumptogenic: the structures of society promote consumption patterns that Nordic people think of as normal, but which are unsustainable. On the other hand, citizens who attempt to make significant lifestyle changes for sustainability face insurmountable socio-cultural barriers to sustainable practices. This highlights the need for governments to lead the shift to cultures of sustainability.

Governments need to lead the shift to sustainability by creating the societal structures that make sustainable living the default option. Innovation in technology and infrastructure, regulation, pricing, marketing and new social norms can be used in combination to create sustainable choice architecture.

Regulations are often the most effective policy tools for changing consumption patterns. Although regulations may be more challenging to implement, evidence is available showing practical techniques for successfully implementing stronger policy interventions. Regulations are often more effective when used in combination with other policy instruments, e.g. economic and information tools in policy packages.

Building positive social norms is essential for embedding sustainable practices in everyday life and for increasing public acceptability for stronger consumption policies. Even coercive, proscriptive policies that require significant lifestyle changes (e.g. switching from private car use to public transport) can gain higher public acceptance by using appropriate framing techniques, reinforcing pro-societal and pro-environmental social norms, and by providing safe, comfortable and cheap sustainable alternatives to unsustainable behaviours.

A policy focus is needed on facilitating change away from high-impact consumption areas (e.g. flying, consumption of meat and dairy products and car driving) to lower-impact consumption areas (e.g. vegetarian diets, public mobility, local leisure and cultural activities, and personal development).

Understanding and supporting the drive of humans to become happier and healthier, there is a need to discuss a much greater diversity of paths to well-being than is currently offered. It may be useful to communicate a wider vision of well-being, which includes pro-societal values such as resilient communities, equitable, fair and sustainable resource use, health, education and personal development, peace and stability, environmental and social justice and other macro-issues that indirectly influence individuals and families. To support and encourage sustainable ways of living new metrics of societal prosperity needs to be developed.

Post Carbon Pathways: Towards a Just and Resilient Post Carbon Future

A new report has been published that draws on in-depth interviews with leading international researchers, policy makers and activists on actions needed to drive the rapid implementation of large scale post carbon economy transition strategies. It is titled "Post Carbon Pathways: Towards a Just and Resilient Post Carbon Future. Learning from leading international post carbon economy researchers and policy makers".

Key messages are:

1. The probability and risks of global warming of four degrees or more are rapidly increasing. This is, however, an argument for visionary leadership and decisive action - not political paralysis and buck-passing.

2. The technological and economic roadmaps showing the actions we need to take to avoid catastrophic global warming are now widely understood. From Germany to California and from the United Kingdom to China the global momentum for implementation of large scale de-carbonisation strategies is rapidly accelerating.

3. The biggest roadblocks preventing implementation of large-scale de-carbonisation strategies at the speed required to prevent runaway climate change are political not technological. The key roadblocks are:

• Climate science denial
• The power of the fossil fuel industry and its allies
• Political paralysis
• Unsustainable consumption of energy and resources
• Path dependencies and outdated infrastructure
• Financial and governance constraints

4. The key actions needed to overcome these political roadblocks are:

• Clear understanding of the necessity and possibility of an emergency speed transition to a just and resilient post-carbon future

• Broad recognition of the potentially enormous social and economic benefits of switching investment from fossil fuels to energy efficiency, renewable energy and carbon sequestration

• Game changing social and technological innovation

• Decisive leadership and skilful implementation by communities, business and government at every level of society.

Free up mental and physical space!

Fredrik Wass and Michael Kazarnowicz have started Crop100 - a cool initiative where they invite people to get rid of 100 products from their daily life during 1-year period and in this way get rid of clatter, free your mind and contribute to sustainable consumption. More information about the project can be found on their blog or from a DN article in Swedish “Gör dig av med 100saker under ett år”.

If you find it hard to find 100 things in your possession that you could get rid of, think about what you would take with you if your house was burning. See what others would take with them on "The burning house blog”.

Get inspired by the story of Graham Hill, whose space is small, but whose life is big.

1986 insights on problems with our consumption levels

Some people are much more insightful about societal problems than us, academics. Check out this fantastic standup routine by George Carlin about the value of 'Stuff' in our lives, which he has done in 1986 long before the problematics of consumption was on anyones agenda in sustainability circles.

A summary of this talk: "Have you noticed that their stuff is shit, and your shit is stuff"...

Alternative Consumption on the Rise

A number of civic movements are emerging that question the premises of the current economic system, that investigate what makes people happy and that offer alternative ways of satisfying people needs. Read more about various examples ranging from the non-shopping trend, to "fix it up" and to collaborative consumption in a blog-post of the WolrdWatch Europe.

ÄR DU INTRESSERAD AV MAT, HÄLSA OCH MILJÖ?

Just nu pågår det ett forskningsprojekt vid Lunds universitet där vi undersöker butikens nuvarande och framtida roll i främjandet av mer hållbara matvanor. Vi söker intresserade konsumenter som vill delta i en diskussion med butiksägare från Skåne om nya möjligheter för butiker att stödja hållbara matvaror och livsstilar. Du behöver inte någon särskild kunskap om miljö och hållbarhet för att delta.

När: Onsdag, 17 april 2013 (kl. 9.30-12)

Var: Internationella Miljöinstitutet vid Lunds Universitet, Tegnersplatsen 4, Lund

Vi bjuder på lätt lunch efter diskussionen, samt fika under diskussionen. För dig som kommer med bus, tåg eller bil betalar vi reseersättning.

Vid frågor, hör gärna av dig till: Matthias Lehner,
046 222 02 18 (arbete),
076 233 85 44 (mobil),
matthias.lehner@iiiee.lu.se

webinar on Dispelling myths about sustainable consumption

Please join us in an Adobe Connect Meeting!

When:  Tuesday 22 January, 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
or the same content
When:  Tuesday 12 February, 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Time Zone:  (GMT+01:00) Amsterdam, Berlin, Bern, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna

Successful strategies for promoting sustainable consumption require a good understanding of human behaviour but most policymakers and other leaders don’t have time to become experts in consumer decision making! The academic research on how to promote sustainable lifestyles is complex and comes from a range of disciplines from psychology and sociology to behavioural economics and many more. As a result, many of us rely on “common knowledge” and assumptions about consumer behaviour, which may be only partially true or sometimes not true at all.

This webinar presents the preliminary results of the project, funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers, which aims to uncover existing scientific evidence on consumption and to give policy makers a deeper understanding of the knowledge on consumption behaviour in a more accessible format – thereby challenging the myths and enabling more effective policy making.
We have so far conducted meta-analysis of existing scientific evidence and interviewed a range of policymakers in the Nordic region to learn more about how the academic research findings fit with the experience of those designing and implementing local, national and Nordic-level policies.

This webinar discusses such “myths” about consumption behavior as:
•    Green consumption is the solution to unsustainable patterns and levels of consumption.
•    If everyone does a little we will achieve a lot.
•    More information leads to sustainable behaviour.
•    Consumption policies are too controversial and will not be accepted by the public.
…and others.

In addition to presenting our learning to date, we would also like to hear what you think: which myths are familiar to you, which issues are challenging for your work area, do you strongly agree or disagree with any of the findings?  You will have the possibility to write your comments and questions during the webinar and we will have some time to answer at least some of them.

We are looking forward to seeing you online!
Please feel free to forward this invitation to people who you think might be interested.

To join the meeting: log in as Guest, write your name
https://connect.sunet.se/scmyths/

Feel free to email us whether you are planning to attend!
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Project team
Oksana Mont, Kate Power, Eva Heiskanen, Helka.Kuusi
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