The Spanish Committee for UNHCR defines responsible consumption as ‘the choice of products and services we consume based on criteria of quality, price, environmental impact, social impact, and the ethics of the companies that produce them. As a result, responsible consumption has many aspects:
Ethics: this considers values as a basis for buying and consuming.
Ecology: this refers to consumption that considers the environment and natural resources.
Solidarity: this considers the labour conditions of people who take part in the development of the product or in providing the service’ (Spanish Committee for UNHCR, 2018).
Responsible consumption is associated to rethinking consumption needs so that these are met within the framework of sustainable development. From the social and environmental perspective, it refers to a conscious, informed, and responsible attitude regarding consumption and how something is consumed to transform habits towards more sustainable ones.
It requires a profound reflection and becoming aware of the purchase of products and services, their origin, the extraction of necessary materials for their fabrication, their production, their environmental and social impact, and their final disposal, among others. In other words, it must consider the entire life cycle of the product or service.
The UN Development Programme considers responsible consumption and production as part of Objective 12 of the Sustainable Development Goals as a key factor so that growth does not imply the deterioration of the environment.
This term is often confused with informed consumption and conscious consumption. However, as a first measure, the decision to consume based on responsible consumption implies a prior process of information and awareness. In terms of social impacts, responsible consumption is usually associated to fair trade and solidarity in consumption.
Ethics: this considers values as a basis for buying and consuming.
Ecology: this refers to consumption that considers the environment and natural resources.
Solidarity: this considers the labour conditions of people who take part in the development of the product or in providing the service’ (Spanish Committee for UNHCR, 2018).
Responsible consumption is associated to rethinking consumption needs so that these are met within the framework of sustainable development. From the social and environmental perspective, it refers to a conscious, informed, and responsible attitude regarding consumption and how something is consumed to transform habits towards more sustainable ones.
It requires a profound reflection and becoming aware of the purchase of products and services, their origin, the extraction of necessary materials for their fabrication, their production, their environmental and social impact, and their final disposal, among others. In other words, it must consider the entire life cycle of the product or service.
The UN Development Programme considers responsible consumption and production as part of Objective 12 of the Sustainable Development Goals as a key factor so that growth does not imply the deterioration of the environment.
This term is often confused with informed consumption and conscious consumption. However, as a first measure, the decision to consume based on responsible consumption implies a prior process of information and awareness. In terms of social impacts, responsible consumption is usually associated to fair trade and solidarity in consumption.
References:
www.eacnur.org
www.consumoresponde.es
www.porelclima.es
www.vivosano.org
www.un.org
Photo credit: Chinnapong
www.eacnur.org
www.consumoresponde.es
www.porelclima.es
www.vivosano.org
www.un.org
Photo credit: Chinnapong