Burger

Sustainable Consumption (2018-2020)

Transformation corridors for sustainable consumption

To achieve global sustainability consumption is regarded as a significant factor. That makes it a central starting point for understanding and advancing the transformation processes that Future Earth is working towards. Accordingly, sustainable consumption is a stand-alone goal of the United Nations 2030 Agenda (SDG 12). Due to its direct and indirect impacts, human consumption is also of high relevance to many other SDGs.

The definition of limits – manifesting themselves in the form of demands for minimal consumption standards and the most tolerable consumption-induced burden – is a comprehensive requirement for approaches to transform social consumption patterns.

The working group examines and defines concrete “transformation corridors”, while taking the current state of knowledge and global-political targets into account. Such targets include the German “Nationales Programm für Nachhaltigen Konsum / National Program for Sustainable Consumption “ (NPNK) and the SDGs. The working group will make these considerations more concrete in regard to their implications on resource-intensive consumption of households in different stages of life (young adults, families, seniors).

The working group will focus on the following questions:

  • How can corridors for sustainability transitions be defined that reflect demands for minimal consumption standards and the most tolerable consumption-induced burdens?
  • How do these transformation corridors relate to people’s resource-intensive everyday life consumption?
  • What are the conditions for the success or failure of sustainable consumption in the different stages of life?
  • What role do national and global sustainability goals play in implementing a transformation of resource-intensive everyday life consumption?
Working Group Members