Consumerism, environment effects and solutions

Consumerism, environment effects and solutions

Work done by:
Tiago Peixoto nº11
Leonardo Borges nº 9

Index

Introduction: 3 What is consumerism? 4 Types of consumers 5 The buying behavior 6 Consumerism and environmental effects 7 Solutions of consumerism 8

Introduction: A series of media reports and books, such as The Green Consumer Guide, have given many people the impression that the environment can be saved if individuals are responsible in their shopping habits and buy only environmentally sound products. The idea is that firms wanting to take advantage of this new demand for green products will change their production processes and redesign their products to meet the demand. Environmentally sound goods will become profitable. This view has been reinforced by commentators:
Sustainable Development means a change in consumption patterns towards environmentally more benign products, and a change in investment patterns towards augmenting environmental capital.
The better informed and environmentally conscious consumers of the future will demand to know the environmental impact of many of the major products and services they intend to purchase.
The tendency for consumers to prefer environmentally sound products has already become evident. Surveys show that a significant proportion of consumers, particularly young mothers in Australia and other high-income countries, make an effort to buy green products such as pump packs, unbleached papers and items made of recycled paper. About 28 per cent would pay more for safe aerosols and biodegradable plastic products, and 35 per cent for natural foods that were not produced using pesticides. The evidence on consumers' willingness to take a stand by refusing plastic bags or overpackaged goods is less clear.
These signs have prompted a surge of advertisements and labels claiming environmental benefits. Green imagery is used to sell products. Caring for the environment has become a