ABSTRACT
'Consumption' refers to the process of preference formation and the purchase, use and disposal of goods and services by individuals in private or corporate households in a social context. Owing to catch-up processes and globalisation effects, the dynamics and the environmental effects of modern consumer society is no longer confined to its historical 'region' of origin: the Image result for United States of America, Western Europe and, Japan. The chapter underlines the necessity for a sustainability transition. In modern societies, a plurality of different lifestyles, and this differentiation is important for a sustainability transition both at the descriptive and at the normative level. Many scholars and politicians seem to assume that more or less radical changes in the technological sub-structure of modern societies will be adequate, with no substantial policy changes, no lifestyle changes. Even radical technological changes will occur only if policies change and if these policies are supported by citizens and accepted by consumers.
