Consuming Values and Contested Cultures.
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Consuming Values and Contested Cultures.
Abstract
The term “sustainable consumption” has many interpretations, ranging from Agenda 21’s hopeful assertion that governments should encourage less materialistic lifestyles based on new definitions of “wealth” and “prosperity” to the widely held belief in international policy discourse that green and ethical consumerism will be enough to transform markets and produce continuous and “clean” economic growth.
These various perspectives are investigated using a conceptual framework taken from Cultural Theory to demonstrate their fundamentally opposing assumptions about the nature of the environment and society, as well as the meanings associated with consumption.
According to Cultural Theory, countries should adopt pluralistic policies that consider various perspectives. Using this approach, the article explores the UK’s plan for sustainable consumption and identifies several flaws in present policy.
These include the UK strategy’s strong predisposition towards individualistic, market-based, and neoliberal policies, which means it can only address a tiny portion of the issue of unsustainable consumption.
Policy proposals include initiatives to strengthen input from opposing cultures, recognising the possibility for more collaborative, egalitarian, and much less materialistic purchasing behaviours.
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