Rebecca Gresh discusses the current status of industrialized countries’ uses of world resources, as well as recent actions to address sustainable consumption. She notes that critiques of the recent Marrakech Process by scholars demonstrate the need for increasing structural and collective measures to address sustainable consumption in an equitable way.Title VI National Resource Center Grant (P015A100065)published or submitted for publicationnot peer reviewe

Gresh, Rebecca

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October 2010International Programs and StudiesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignA Global Review of SustainableConsumption PoliciesRebecca GreshDepartment of Sociology University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignIn 2005, industrialized countries, which represent about 15 percent of the population, used nearly 50 percent of fossil energy and mineral resources (UNDESA 2010). The United States, with roughly 4 percent of the world’s population, is responsible for nearly 25 percent of the world’s emissions (Karlsson 2002). Such statistics point to the inequalities in consumption that have plagued the sustainable development debate since the late 1980s. Not only do industrialized countries use the majority of the world’s resources for their own development, they leave little ecological space for developing coun-tries or for future generations to meet their needs. At the upcoming United Nations (UN) Earth Summit in 2012, governments will be under increasing pressure to adopt development policies that address sustainable consumption in an equitable way. The term “sustainable consumption” appears in the World Commis-sion on Environment and Development (WCED) report Our Common Future (1987), which addressed concerns about the pace of environmental deteriora-tion identifi ed at the 1972 Stockholm Conference, including structural issues shaping production and consumption patterns. Global economic crises during the 1970s led to the adoption of free-market structural adjustment policies in developing countries; these, in turn, undermined subsistence farming prac-tices that sustained both people and the land. Free-market policies drove the appropriation of subsistence lands for commercial use in global market production, and put short-term profi ts ahead of long-term environmental and human development goals. Dumping practices also allowed industrialized countries to maintain cheap supplies of goods domestically (Desai 2002). Through a critique of neoliberal globalization, the WCED report argued for an alternative program of development, “Sustainable development seeks to meet the needs and aspirations of the present without compromising the ability to meet those of the future” (1987: Chapter 1, II.49). The goal was to move deveopment in a sustainable direction by encouraging  ecological limits on production and consumption patterns in order to equitably address the needs of the poor.  Our Common Future helped frame the 1992 UN Earth Summit in Rio, which brought together more than 100 heads of state to address sustain-able development. The outcome was Agenda 21, an action plan for sustain-able development that recognizes the disparities in consumption patterns between the industrialized North and the developing South: “the major cause Policy Brief  6About the Center for Global StudiesThe Center for Global Studies globalizes the research, teaching, and outreach missions of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Since 2003, the Center has been designated as a National Resource Center in Global Studies under the Title VI grant program of the U.S. Department of Education.Globalizing Missions of the Center  • Promote and support innovative re-search to better understand global issues confronting the world’s populations and identify ways to cope with and resolve these challenges.  • Partner with faculty and disciplinary units to develop new courses and degree programs in global studies.  • Facilitate deep understanding of the values, thinking, practices, and aspira-tions of the world’s diverse cultures, and the acquisition of advanced language skills in Less Commonly Taught Lan-guages.  • Develop teaching resources, profes-sional training opportunities, and public programs in global studies for research-ers, educators, students, business leaders, media, governmental agencies, civic organizations, and all members of the public concerned with understanding and solving global problems.Center forGlobal StudiesInternational Programs and StudiesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignThis publication is funded in part by a Title VI grant for National Resource Centers  through the US Department of Education.About the Author Rebecca Gresh is a PhD student in the Department of Sociology. Her research interests include sustainability, supermar-kets, and alternative food movements. She is participating in the Focal Point Group: Global Patterns of Sustainable Consump-tion (www.consumingsustainability.org), which is funded in part by the Center for Global Studies. Focal Point Groups are an initiative of the Graduate College at the University of Illinois. Professor Zsuzsa Gille, Department of Sociology, and Professor Diana Mincyte, Department of Advertising, are faculty co-organizers of the group.     Sustainable development is one model for addressing problems of global under-development while also allowing citizens in Western nations to maintain existing ways of life.      The purpose of the “Global Patterns of Sustainable Consumption” Focal Group is to interrogate recent scholarship on sustainable consumption practices as rela-tional, structural, and transnational issues that depend greatly on the technologies in use and thus on specifi c networks of hu-mans and non-humans. Such connections are best studied by fi eldwork methods because only through immersion in the time and place of our informants—farm-ers, workers, activists, and consumers—is it possible to see what social and material opportunities and constraints exist within a particular site for shepherding human consumption patterns towards sustain-ability.     Research projects of Focal Point Group participants utilize a wide range of disciplinary perspectives and social science and humanities methodologies to address socio-material constraints to sus-tainable consumption; power, governance and management; consumer-oriented met-rics; transport; and morality. Specifi c top-ics include carbon trading, debates over nanotechnology, urban “greenwashing”, heritage livestock preservation, shifts in supermarket strategies, sustainable trans-portation and automobility ideologies, and sustainability, risk and safety in Eastern Europe.2 Policy Brief  6of the continued deterioration of the global environment is the unsustainable pattern of consumption and production, particularly in industrialized countries, which is a matter of grave concern, aggravating poverty and imbalances” (UN 1992: 4.3). In a chapter entitled “Changing Consumption Patterns” the report calls for understanding global consumption patterns and their environmental and social impacts, as well as national policies and strategies to encourage changes. The 1992 Rio Summit also established the Commission on Sustainable Develop-ment (CSD) to manage progress toward sustainable development.   After the Earth Summit, sustainable consumption gained traction within international policy circles. In 1994 the Norwegian Ministry for the Environ-ment hosted a symposium on sustainable consumption, and in 1995 the CSD ad-opted an international work program on sustainable production and consumption that was prepared with input by governments, intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, business, trade unions, and the academic community (Berntsen 1995; Jackson 2006). In 1998, the UN Environment Program (UNEP) added its Sus-tainable Consumption Unit to supplement the Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE) sustainable production program. UNEP also publicized its defi nition of sustainable consumption:The use of services and related products which respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life while minimizing the use of natural resources and toxic materials as well as the emissions of waste and pollutants over the life-cycle so as to not jeopardize the needs of future generations.  Although the decade saw activity around the issue of sustainable con-sumption, there were some notable shortcomings. At the 1997 Earth Summit II meeting, whose purpose was to review the 5-year progress of Agenda 21, ten-sions emerged between industrialized and developing nations over gaps in social equity and poverty and declining support and offi cial development assistance for developing countries. The conference established sustainable consumption and production patterns as an “overriding issue” of the yearly CSD agenda (Seyfang 2003). Ten years after Rio, the UNEP’s “Sustainable Consumption Global Status Report” of 2002 noted that increasing consumption in industrialized countries outweighed many of the eco-effi ciency gains of cleaner production, product eco-design, environmental technology, eco-innovation and environmental manage-ment. In addition, rebound effects, such as increased consumption as a result of eco-effi ciency improvements, resulted in increased consumption in absolute terms, despite energy effi ciency gains and production improvements. The 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg reaffi rmed the principles of the 1992 Earth Summit, and made changing consumption and production patterns one of the three pillars of sus-tainable development (Jackson 2006). At the WSSD, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI) called for the creation of a ten-year framework of programs to quicken the pace of action around sustainable consumption and production patterns; the framework, adopted in 2003 in Marrakech, Morocco, became known as the Marrakech Process and is currently supported by both the UNEP and UNDESA. The overarching goals of the Marrakech Process are to bring about a green global economy by helping governments and corpora-tions adopt greener policies and business models; promote sustainable consumer lifestyles; adoption of national and regional sustainable development plans, or National SCP Programs (in which 30 countries are now participating); and “draft a framework for sustainable consumption and production patterns that will be negotiated at the UN CSD in 2011,” with participation from national governments, development agencies, and civil society (UNDESA 2008). Dur-ing the Marrakech Process, the CSD adopted the new concept of “sustainable 3lifestyles,” which became a target area and separate task force: “Sustainable lifestyles are patterns of action and consumption, used by people to affi liate and differentiate themselves” (CSD 2004).  As a result of the Marrakech Process, there are numerous voluntary ini-tiatives to address sustainable consumption and production, including seven task forces (see UNDESA 2010 for projects). The UNEP published many key reports and guidebooks for governments and businesses to promote consumer-citizen strategies for green production and lifestyles (2005a; 2005b; 2006), including the creation of TV spots on “Eco-tips for jeans” (2008), electronic waste (Rufo 2006), and a toolkit on responsible consumption aimed at the growing class of 15- to 25-year-old global consumers. Other initiatives, including public procure-ment policies that leverage government funds to support public policy initiatives such as green purchasing, have been adopted by Canada, the EU, Japan, China, Mexico, and the US. Eco-tax measures that target consumer-citizen behavior, such as Finland’s 1990 Carbon Dioxide Tax, Chicago’s 2007 bottled water tax, and Ireland’s 2002 plastic bag tax also have been implemented. Labeling and standards among governments and businesses are used to educate consumers and shape their buying habits. Since 1988 Canada has used the voluntary EcoLogo program to distinguish products and services according to their environmental impacts. Governments also use mandatory labeling to infl uence the market. To reduce eutrophication in lakes and seas Sweden intro-duced a bill to ban retail sales of laundry powders and dishwashing detergents containing phosphates. China introduced the Energy Label, which mandates effi ciency labeling on products such as air conditioners, household refrigerators, clothes washers, and unitary air conditioners. More recent developments include attempts to change consumer lifestyles through the design of communities and cities. United Arab Emirates is currently building Masdar city as the world’s fi rst zero-waste, zero-carbon, and car-free city. The city will generate its own re-newable energy, and house approximately 50,000 people and 1,500 businesses. Other planned sustainable communities include Barangaroo in Australia, Panyu Jinshan in China, and Mata de Sesimbra in Portugal (UNDESA 2010).  The strategies that emerged from the Marrakech Process are criticized by scholars who see potential in Agenda 21 for altering deeper meanings of consumer lifestyles and our relationship to the global economy. Scholars such as Maurie Cohen (2001; 2010), Tim Jackson (2006), and Gill Seyfang (2009) are among those who argue that sustainable consumption has been too narrowly cast into an eco-effi ciency mold that privileges the use of technical fi xes to help us consume more effi ciently in the marketplace. Jackson notes such improve-ments do not curb the growth in consumption but actually encourage it, which is confi rmed by historical evidence that shows increases in scale have undermined eco-effi ciency efforts. Eco-effi ciency also hinges upon a neo-classical view of markets and the consumer, which approaches all consumption as an activity to increase the utility or well being of individual consumers. As Seyfang argues, approaches that merely target the consumer are problematic because consumer lifestyles are embedded in social institutions and socio-technical regimes that are inconspicuous and shape consumption at the level of habit. However, socio-technical regimes are themselves enmeshed in geopolitical concerns. Accord-ing to Cohen, the US is a “debtor empire” that relies on consumer-citizens to purchase surplus goods from allied countries in exchange for global dominance. Thus, material throughput is dependent upon US interests, and for any form of consumption to become sustainable, trade relations and global empire will need to be confronted.  In sum, these critiques suggest the need for both structural and collective measures if we are to create substantive shifts towards more sus-tainable and equitable futures. Global Studies Virtual LibraryThe Global Studies Virtual Library en-compasses information and access to ma-terials of all kinds relevant to globaliza-tion and global studies, including research resources, key databases, virtual media, international projects, a virtual bookshelf, and online reference services.     If you would like more information on the topic of this Policy Brief, or any other global studies issues, please visit the web-site: http://www.library.illinois.edu/cgs/  or contact Global Studies Librarian, Lynne Rudasill, rudasill@illinois.eduPolicy Brief  6Center for Global Studies StaffEdward A. Kolodziej, DirectorSteven W. Witt, Associate DirectorKaren Hewitt, Outreach CoordinatorLynne Rudasill, Global Studies LibrarianAnnetta Allison, Offi ce ManagerFor more information about the Center for Global Studies, please visit our website: http://cgs.illinois.edu  or send an email to:global-studies@illinois.edu, or call 217-265-5186.Policy Brief SubmissionsThe Policy Brief series features essays on global studies research topoics that have received Title VI funding support from the Center for Global Studies. To submit an essay for publication in the Policy Brief series, please contact Steve Witt: swwitt@illinois.edu 217-265-5186.The Center for Global Studies does not take positions on public policy issues. The views presented in Policy Briefs do not necessarily refl ect the views of the Center.© 2010 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. All rights reserved.Center for Global Studies303 International Studies Bldg.910 S. Fifth Street, MC-402Champaign, IL 61820 USAhttp://cgs.illinois.eduReferences     Agenda 21: The United Nations Programme of Action from Rio. 1992. New York: United Nations. Retrieved Sept. 13, 2010 http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/res_agenda21_00.shtml.     Bernsten, Thorbjørn. 1995. Oslo Roundtable Chairman’s Report. Oslo, Norway. Retrieved Sept. 13, 2010 http://www.iisd.ca/consume/oslochar.html.     Cohen, Maurie J., 2001. “The Emergent Environmental Policy Discourse on Sustainable Consumption.” in Exploring sustainable consumption: envi-ronmental policy and the social sciences, edited by M.J. Cohen and Joseph Murphy, Oxford: Elsevier.     ------. 2010. “The International Political Economy of (Un)sustainable Consumption and the Global Financial Collapse.” Environmental Politics 19(1):107-126.     Commission on Sustainable Development. 2004. “Every little bit helps....” Overcoming the Challenges to Researching, Promoting and Implementing Sustainable Lifestyles. Westminister: Centre for Sustainable Development, University of Westminister.     Desai, Manisha. 2002. “Transnational Solidarity: Women’s Agency, Struc-tural Adjustment, and Globalization.” In Women’s Activism and Globaliza-tion: Linking Local Struggles and Transnational Politics, edited by M.D. N.A. Naples, 15-33. London: Routledge.     Jackson, Tim. 2006. “Readings in Sustainable Consumption.” in The Earthscan Reader in Sustainable Consumption, edited by Tim Jackson, 1-24. London: Earthscan.     Karlsson, Gail. 2002. “Global Resource Management: Environment and Sustainable Development.” In A Global Agenda: Issues Before the 56th General Assembly of the United Nations, edited by Diana Ayton-Shenker and John Tessitore. 125 – 150. Lanham, MI: Rowan and Littlefi eld Publishers.     Rufo, Sabrina. 2006. “Save a Life.” Retrieved Sept. 13, 2010 http://www.unep.fr/scp/communications/ad/details.asp?id=6684133&cp=5&cat=23.4 Policy Brief  6     Seyfang, Gill. 2003. “Environmental Mega-Conferences: from Stockholm to Johannesburg and Beyond.” Global Environmental Change 13: 223-228.     ------. 2009. The New Economics of Sustainable Consumption. New York: Palgrave MacMillan.     UNDESA. 2008. “The Marrakech Process.” United Nations, Retrieved Sept. 13, 2010 http://esa.un.org/marrakechprocess/index.shtml.     ------. 2010. Trends in Sustainable Development: Towards Sustainable Consumption and Production. New York: United Nations http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/resources/res_publtrends_2010_scp.shtml.     UNEP. 1998. Sustainable Consumption. New York: United Nations http://www.unep.fr/scp/sc/pdf/SCbrochure.pdf.     ------. 2002. Sustainable Consumption: A Global Status Report. New York: United Nations. Retrieved Sept. 13, 2010 http://www.naturaledgeproj-ect.net/Documents/Internal/Sus_Cons.pdf.     ------. 2005a. Communicating Sustainability: How to produce effective public campaigns. Paris: UNEP DTIE/Futerra. Retrieved Sept. 13, 2010 http://www.unep.fr/scp/publications/details.asp?id=DTI/0679/PA.     ------. 2005b. Talk the Walk: Advancing Sustainable Lifestyles through Marketing and Communications. Paris: UNEP, UN Global Compact and Utopies. Retrieved Sept. 13, 2010 http://www.unep.fr/scp/publications/de-tails.asp?id=DTI/0763/PA.     ------. 2006. Sustainability Communications: A Toolkit for Marketing and Advertising Courses. New York: United Nations. Retrieved Sept. 13, 2010 http://www.unep.fr/scp/publications/details.asp?id=DTI/0886/PA.     ------. “Eco-tips for jeans.” Retrieved Sept. 13, 2010 http://www.unep.fr/scp/communications/ad/details.asp?id=668432&cp=2&cat=new.     World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED). 1987. Our Common Future. Geneva, Switzerland: United Nations. Retrieved Sept. 13, 2010 http://www.un-documents.net/ocf-01.htm  

A Global Review of Sustainable Consumption Policies

Rebecca Gresh discusses the current status of industrialized countries??? uses of world resources, as well as recent actions to address sustainable consumption. She notes that critiques of the recent Marrakech Process by scholars demonstrate the need for increasing structural and collective measures to address sustainable consumption in an equitable way.Title VI National Resource Center Grant (P015A100065)published or submitted for publicationnot peer reviewe

A Global Review of Sustainable Consumption Policies

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