This document discusses sustainable lifestyles and material footprints in the EU. It notes that current lifestyles are far from sustainable, using 30-50 tonnes of materials per person annually. However, lifestyles could be sustainable at 8 tonnes per person annually through changes like eating a mostly plant-based diet, using more efficient housing and renewable energy, relying on public transportation instead of private cars, and reducing food and other waste. The document provides examples of how material footprints for food, housing, and mobility could each be cut in half or more to achieve an overall sustainable footprint.

1. Lkj;j;lkj;
Catalyzing AcAon:
EU Sustainable Lifestyles Roadmap
& AcAon Plan 2012‐2050
26‐27 November 2012
What is a sustainable lifestyle in the EU?
Michael Le5enmeier
Director, D‐mat ltd.
Consultant, Wuppertal InsAtute for Climate, Environment and Energy
www.sustainable‐lifestyles.eu

2. One of the biggest
lifestyle changes we know
Ci@zendigital.org
www.sustainable‐lifestyles.eu
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3. Bad news:
our current lifestyles are
far from sustainable
www.sustainable‐lifestyles.eu
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4. Good news: We know where to go.
And some people are already there!
www.sustainable‐lifestyles.eu

5. Many ways of achieving 8 tonnes
5
www.sustainable‐lifestyles.eu
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6. Material
Footprint:
The invisible
material burden
our products are
carrying
© seppo@seppo.net
www.sustainable‐lifestyles.eu

7. Sustainable use of natural resources
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8. Equal share of resource use within one planet
MastertexKormat
_______________
bearbeiten
__________
Zweite Ebene
_____ ____
DriOe Ebene
_____ ____
Vierte Ebene
_____ ____
FünSe Ebene
_____ ____ "The industrial countries act as if there
were several earths available. Thus,
without a radical increase in resource
produc@vity there will be no sustainable
development."
Schmidt‐Bleek (2009): The Earth.
Source: Wuppertal Ins@tute 2007
www.sustainable‐lifestyles.eu

9. Material footprint =
Amount of consumpAon x Material intensity
© seppo@seppo.net © seppo@seppo.net
www.sustainable‐lifestyles.eu
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10. Material footprint today:
30‐50 tonnes per person in a year
11 tonnes
18 tonnes
6 tonnes
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11. Sustainable material footprint:
8 tonnes per person in a year
400
1.5 tonnes
1600
Housing
Food
2 tonnes 2000
Household goods
Leisure time
500
3 tonnes
3000 Mobility and tourism
Other
500
www.sustainable‐lifestyles.eu

12. Food: from 6 to 3 tonnes
Photos: Kaskinen et al. 2011 and Ko@vinkki
www.sustainable‐lifestyles.eu
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13. Food: from 6 to 3 tonnes
year:
5 00 kg/ today
less than
arian
ly veget
most
food waste
no
Photos: Kaskinen et al. 2011 and Ko@vinkki
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14. Housing: from 11 to 1.5 tonnes
A+++++++++++
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15. Housing: from 11 to 1.5 tonnes
t zero
e fficien
res ource‐ ses
u
ene rgy ho
2 per pe
rson
20 m
p ower
d and solar
win
A+++++++++++
www.sustainable‐lifestyles.eu
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16. Mobility: from 18 to 2 tonnes
www.sustainable‐lifestyles.eu
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17. Mobility: from 18 to 2 tonnes
er pe rson
10 00 0 km p
cient
rce‐effi rt
resou anspo
pu blic tr
rivate cars
no p
www.sustainable‐lifestyles.eu
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18. How heavy is your lifestyle?
www.sustainable‐lifestyles.eu

19.
Households will
not do it alone
Inhabitat.com
Treehugger.com Treehugger.com Treehugger.com
www.sustainable‐lifestyles.eu
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20. Thank you! Michael LeOenmeier
D‐mat ltd.
Wuppertal Ins@tute for Climate, Environment and Energy
Research Group Sustainable Produc@on and Consump@on
Phone: +358 (0)40 54 12 876
E‐Mail: michael.leOenmeier@wupperinst.org
www.facebook.com/materialfootprint
www.d‐mat.fi
www.wupperinst.org
www.mips‐online.info
www.sustainable‐lifestyles.eu