ABSTRACT
This chapter shows why the transformation of consumption has to be at the heart of any strategy for sustainable development. A global consumer class is emerging, sharing common lifestyles despite being separated by great distances—and generating similar environmental impacts. During the 1990s two main approaches to sustainable consumption emerged: ecoefficiency and eco-sufficiency. Eco-efficiency has been widely adopted by governments and business as a way of linking environmental improvements with global competitiveness. The scale of global consumption has expanded dramatically, growing as much as fourfold since 1960, reaching US$24 trillion in 1998. The world’s richest countries make up only a fifth of global population, but account for 45% of all meat consumption, 58% of total energy use, 84% of paper use and 87% of vehicle ownership. The environmental burden from consumption is growing and eco-efficiency improvements at the product level are proving insufficient to cope with volume growth at the macroeconomic level.
