Flag test event

Where:

Drivers of consumption

  • needs (body and soul)

  • self esteem

  • social recognition

  • inclusion

  • status

  • a buzz

It makes no sense to criticise consumption

Only way is to address the needs and drivers with alternative fulfillment

Ideas for alternative fulfillment

  • reduce inequality and poverty

  • address media stigmatisation of poverty

  • public spaces to build community

  • carry out community activities

  • appreciate diversity of people ⇒ inclusion

2Consumption rethought

Consumption does not equal buying

self providing (“prosumer”) makes people appreciate

  • quality

  • time

  • sovereignty

  • skills

  • sharing/locality/mesoform of socio-economic relations

self-providing makes happy and frames sufficiency in a positive narrative

Services to humans are o.k.

The value chain thing

  • awareness is needed

  • shorter chains are better

  • it would be good if people have choice and knowledge on provenience of products and processes

Products should

  • be durable

  • be repairable

  • have no inbuilt obsolescence

  • have high quality

  • are worth appreciating and handing down

  • fulfill ecological and social standards

Where:

1Labels

Proposal/Vision

Full awareness possibility about sustainability impact of consumption

Transformation

One Label showing one overall scale with zoom function for further info of products & services

Controversial

  • Categories are changeable into monetary values?

  • Life-footprint account?

  • Voluntary or obligatory?

Open Questions

  • Can a scale be positive?

  • How much obligations for companies make sense?

  • Private consumption vs. society consumption?

Actions

  • Start more discussions

  • methodologically ⇒ science

  • value discussion ⇒ society

2Standards

Vision

more control on production

Transformation

Stronger involvement of consumers and (global) societal actors in standards and development, e.g. indian

Action

  • Direct Democracy on product related issues

  • Empower consumers' engagement

  • change standardisation organs

Where:

Education

mainstreaming of critical thinking across all school subjects towards

  • consumption habits

  • social practices

  • social status

  • advertisement

discuss basic needs & contentment

teach different (socio-)economic models and discuss them

expand teaching of self-providing skills like

  • handicrafts

  • gardening

  • cooking

base it on a communal decision making process of what is liked and needed

highlight the work process that stands behind every product and connect it to the global framework

establish spaces for children to discover anew, how to do & make things

Where:

Advertisement

Proposals

  • create marketing watch organisation (NGO?) ⇒ official mandate to restrict e.g. emotional conditioning

  • no privatised advertisement spaces in the public sphere ⇒ space for everyone

Controversials

  • restrict only or forbid completely?

Open Questions for research

Learn from the decay of smoking tobacco

If restrictions: Where?

  • Public space

  • labels on clothes and bags etc.

  • neuro-marketing approaches

Actions (What?/When?/Who?)

  • Adbusting (Now!Always!/You&Me!)

  • Inform each other about manipulation tactics (Peer-to-peer)

Where:

A)Proposals (by clusters)

1 (Drivers of and re-thinking consumption):

  • create time & space to build communities (alternatives to shopping)

  • find alternative fulfillment for psychological drivers of buying/consumption

  • Products should be durable, be repairable, have no inbuilt obsolescence, have high quality, be worth appreciating and handing down, fulfill ecological and social standards

2 (standards and labels):

  • reformation of standardisation processes so that marginalized (esp. global south) are more & effectively involved

  • everybody should get the possibility of “full” awareness about consumption impacts

3 (education):

  • mainstreaming of critical thinking across all school subjects towards consumption habits, social practices & status, advertisement

  • discuss basic needs & contentment

  • teach different (socio-)economic models

  • expand teaching of self-providing skills

  • establish spaces for children to discover anew how to do & make things

4 (advertisement):

  • create a marketing watch organisation with official mandate to restrict advertisement

B)Controversial Issues

1 (Drivers of and re-thinking consumption):

  • shorter value chains are better

  • it would be good if people have choice and knowledge on provenience of products and processes

2 (standards and labels):

  • one sustainability label (single score label)

  • Monetarisation (Categories are changeable into monetary values?)

  • Life-footprint account?

  • Voluntary or obligatory?

3 (education):

  • base content of education on communal decision of what is liked and needed

  • highlight the work process that stands behind every product and connect it to the global framework

4 (advertisement):

  • make advertisement spaces public so that everybody can publish ads

  • Restrict only or prohibit completely advertisement

C)Open Research Questions

1 (Drivers of and re-thinking consumption)

  • How to make long-lasting and high-quality products the new normal

2 (standards and labels)

  • Can a scale be positive?

  • How much obligations for companies make sense?

  • Private consumption vs. society consumption?

4 (advertisement)

  • If restrictions: Where (Public space, labels on clothes and bags etc., neuro-marketing approaches)

  • What can we learn from the tobacco case

D)Actions

1 (Drivers of and re-thinking consumption)

2 (standards and labels)

  • Start more discussions (methodologically ⇒ science; value discussion ⇒ society)

  • Exert Direct Democracy on product related issues

  • Empower consumers' engagement

  • Change standardisation organs

4 (advertisment)

  • Ad-busting

  • inform others about manipulation practices

You must be logged in and be a registered participant of the Degrowth conference to be able to register to this working group.