3. Where we started…
Key questions for business:
What is sustainable and
responsible consumption?
Are consumption pattern
issues core business issues?
What is the business case?
What is the role of the
consumer?
What is the role of business
going forward?
A WOOLY topic
5. Increased consumer awareness & concern
• 96% of Europeans say that protecting the environment is
important for them personally. Two-thirds of this group say that it
is “very important”
• Nearly ¼ US adults now subscribes to a new set of values that
typically includes “environmentalism, feminism, global issues and
spiritual searching”. These “cultural creatives” are well educated,
relatively affluent, and typical of the kind of consumer responsible
for the success of hybrid cars.
6. Increased consumer willingness
“I would be more likely to
purchase products or
services from a company
with good reputation for
environmental
responsibility”
7. Attitudes vs. behavior
There is a large gap
between consumer
attitudes and willingness
and ACTUAL BEHAVIOUR
CHANGE
8. Barriers to behavior change – Why is it so difficult?
The consumer
will not
compromise on
performance,
convenience or
price
9. A business perspective on
sustainable consumption
Facts & Trends on Sustainable Consumption
December 2008
• efficiency gains and technological advances
alone will not be sufficient to bring
consumption patterns to a sustainable level
• changes will also be required to consumer
lifestyles and the ways in which consumers
use and choose products and services…
• business needs to play a leadership role in
fostering more sustainable consumer choices
…to achieve more sustainable lifestyles.
11. 11
More Sustainable Consumption:
Business Approaches
Innovation: development of new and improved products,
services and business models incorporating provisions for delivering
maximum societal value at minimum environmental cost
Choice-Influencing: the use of marketing communications
and awareness-raising campaigns to enable and encourage
consumers to choose and use products more efficiently and
sustainably
Choice-Editing: the removal of “unsustainable” products,
product components and services from the marketplace. In
partnership with other actors in society such as policy makers
and retailers
12. The business case:
Products and services have to
perform better, have a
competitive price, AND be more
sustainable
They must minimize
environmental impacts and
deliver value to society
13. The business case:
Business needs to create the market for sustainable products by
working in partnership with the consumer
…and by using marketing
and communications to
influence consumer choice
and behaviour
14. Choices to edit the availability of certain products are often in
conflict
…business, governments and society must work together to
define sustainable products and lifestyles
Decisions that directly control the impacts of consumption.
The business case:
– Businesses choice-edit by controlling elements of their supply chain
or by eliminating product components.
– Policymakers choice-edit by banning a product or substance.
– Retailers choice-edit by deciding to eliminate products from their
shelves or by demanding certain standards of their supply chains.
Key learnings:
15. Sustainable consumption is a
systemic challenge that
requires all actors in society
to work together.
Business cannot do it alone…
16. Sustainable Consumption
WBCSD 2009 Action Plan
1. Advocate Facts & Trends on SC
Policy-makers, retailers, marketers
2. More sustainable products &
consumption
Develop principles & criteria from a
business perspective
3. Sustainable lifestyles
Develop business view on lifestyles that
support the vision of a sustainable world
Editor's Notes
(overarching key message emerging from this work): The concept of sustainable consumption has been an often messy, confusing, or “wooly” topic of multiple themes, concepts and issues. In identifying the key facts and trends surrounding this subject, and in developing a deeper understanding of key issues, from a business perspective the path towards a sustainable consumption future is bright, good for business and good for sustainable development.
About this document (& WBCSD work on SC)
This document takes stock of recent developments and trends in global consumption patterns. It presents an overview of documented facts and trends on the relationship between business activities, consumer behavior, and environmental and social challenges. The primary purpose of this paper is to stimulate further debate amongst businesses and to serve as a discussion piece for dialogue with stakeholders. We have used existing data from a variety of sources, including UN organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), governments, academics consumer groups, and businesses, including our own members. In all cases, we have sought to use the best data available.
This document has been developed by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)’s Business Role Focus Area and members of the Consumers & Sustainable Consumption workstream: Adidas, BCSD Argentina, Coca-Cola, EDF, General Motors, Henkel, Interface, KPMG, Nokia, Pakistan State Oil, Philips, Procter & Gamble, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Sony, Teijin, TimeWarner, Umicore and Weyerhaeuser.
The Business Role Focus Area aims to engage, equip and mobilize business leaders to demonstrate the evolving role of business in a sustainable society. Dialogues with stakeholders around the world have confirmed that society expects business to act, and that leading businesses of the future will be those with products and services that address society’s most urgent challenges.
An quick “at a glance” overview of the key facts & trends identified by the WBCSD sustainable consumption & consumers workstream
(detail on each provided in full report attached – NB not yet for distribution.
Executive summary
To meet the challenge of sustainable development, businesses can help to foster more sustainable levels and patterns of consumption. There is a significant opportunity for business to help consumers choose and use their goods and services sustainably. In order to do so, business must create sustainable value for consumers by supplying products and services that meet their functional and emotional needs – now and for future generations – while respecting environmental limits and contributing to social progress.
WBCSD companies of the sustainable consumption and consumers workstream wanted to issue this statement of intent to signal a coming shift in business activities that will directly address sustainable consumption issues (as these leading businesses have already started to do).