This document summarizes presentations from a conference on communicating sustainable consumption and production (SCP). It provides examples of three European Union-funded projects: [1] ASCEE assessed instruments for sustainable consumption practices; [2] BALANCE developed a communication concept on sustainability using television; [3] CORPUS enhances research and policy connections on SCP. The document also discusses defining and communicating key SCP concepts to different audiences and highlights the importance of both denotation and connotation in constructing meaning.

1. DelibProcess SCP Closing Conference
December 7th-8th, 2009
Brussels, Belgium
Who can invest in actions towards SCP?
Innovative tools; creativity and
communication in the EU
Siegmar Otto
(siegmar.otto@ioew.de)
Institute for Ecological Economy Research, Germany
Siegmar Otto

2. Agenda
Sample projects
How does communication work?
Are there innovative ways of communicating SCP at all?
Conclusion
Siegmar Otto

3. Example - project ASCEE
Assessing the potential of various
instruments for sustainable consumption
practises and greening of the market
Some results
• provision of information - not sufficient
• individual consumption outcome of
– individual behaviours
– collective practices
–  intervention on individual and social level
• consumption shaped by habits and routines
–  targeting critical life events (e.g. child birth, job change)
• consideration of social and symbolic qualities
Siegmar Otto
funded by DG Research
within 6th FP

4. Example - project BALANCE
Learning From Commercials –
Communicating Sustainability
Issues to New Audiences
BALANCE – Development, application, and
distribution of a communication and trendsetting-concept
on sustainability in every day life and the economy.
(funded by BMBF)
Media Partner: Welt der Wunder GmbH
(TV-production company)
Media Science part:
Siegmar Otto
Prof. Clemens Schwender
Siegmar Otto
http://www.balance-f.de/ Dennis Mocigemba

5. Example - project BALANCE
Concept of “Sustainment”
The public debate about ecological issues has
lost its momentum.
The SUSTAINMENT
This debate is … concept
• Restricted to a “closed society”  Open to the public
• Restricted to a political debate  Personal relevance
• Dominated by anti-symbols  Positive context
• Dominated by threat and fear  Positive emotions
Siegmar Otto
messages

6. Example - project BALANCE
Communication Process
Message
Production + Narration (Johnson, 1997)
+ Emotions
Broadcast
Reception
+ Emotions (Brosius 1993)
+ Narration (Goldman, et al. 1986)
Message
Siegmar Otto

7. Example - project CORPUS
Enhancing connectivity between
research and policy-making in
sustainable consumption
- CORPUS -
Project accepted within call of FP7
Beginning 1.1.2010
Siegmar Otto

8. Example - project CORPUS
Modules of knowledge brokerage events
Priorities Decisions
Mindsets Actors Trends
focus
And And
And And And
Agenda Communi-
Rationalities Relations Perspectives
Setting cation
instrument
Cognitive System Scenario Open Participative
mapping Maps technique Space MCA
Siegmar Otto

9. communicating SCP
@ politics
@ business
@ science
@ civil society
Brundtland
report
Brundtland definition of sustainable development
discourse
discourse
discourse
discourse indicators discourse
data notion data connotation
of sd
notion notion
of sd of sd ideas,
data meanings,
indicators indicators definitions
Siegmar Otto
http://www.jacobs-university.de/phd/files/1185371576.pdf

10. communicating SCP
@ politics
@ business
@ science
@ media recipient
discourse
discourse discourse discourse communication
strategies
??? efficiency
??? sufficiency
??? consistency
....
Siegmar Otto

11. communicating SCP
Processes
Television
(all new)
Web 2.0
Particip.
Concepts of SCP
WWW
Radio
Print
…
Efficiency o o o n o
Sufficiency n n n n n
Consistency o o o n o
Relevant media attributes
Investment
H H M S M
volumes
Innovation chances for
S S M H H
CSOs
manpower
Siegmar Otto
money

12. conclusion
Siegmar Otto

13. Siegmar Otto

14. communicating SCP
@ science
Efficiency:
derived from an inputʼs
discourse
ratio to its utility in
respect of a certain
strategies
measure.
efficiency Sufficiency:
Consistency: self-limitation,
sufficiency especially with regard
reintegration of the
industrial metabolism into to (materialistic!)
consistency
natural processes or consumption
separation of the ....
metabolism from the
environment
Siegmar Otto

15. communicating SCP
what is the definition of
meaning?
denotation connotation
John Stuart Mill (1843)
Siegmar Otto