Why it is important to practice sustainable consumption

All of us will turn Khali someday. Khali is a sloth bear in the Smithsonian National Zoo in the USA. Everybody in the zoo was excited when Khali went into labor to give birth to three baby bears. What was shocking is the scenario that evolved in the zoo when Khali ate up its own cubs. It was seen Khali eating up the palm-size cubs of her own. Why do animals eat up their babies? One of the reasons is the lack of resources. The zoologists are of the view that when the cub is sick or there is a paucity of resources, there is a tendency among animals to practice infanticide. I am not arguing that there will be a day when people will start eating their own babies but surely about the resource crunch in the future. The animal instinct may lead to behavior which we cannot imagine today. The spree at which the human race is selfishly consuming resources in the world indicates an unsustainable future for the world- an imbalance beyond repair.

It is important to practice sustainable consumption. Marketing companies need to develop strategies, products, and marketing communication focusing on green consumption which can bring a balance in nature. Earth has a capacity to generate- isn’t it? If we go on consuming more than what the earth can generate, it will create an unsustainable world leading to a severe resource crunch. All of us know that majority of the earth-generated resources are not directly consumed. One unit of finished goods or consumable goods is built/manufactured using multiple units of natural resources. So the ability of Mother Nature to produce multiple input units for our unit of consumption output is limited. Such practices over centuries have brought us to the doorstep of the brink and unless we change our consumption habits. Buying green will always restore this imbalance and save us from the extreme case of Khali Syndrome. 

All of us know that majority of the earth-generated resources are not directly consumed. One unit of finished goods or consumable goods is built/manufactured using multiple units of natural resources. So the ability of Mother Nature to produce multiple input units for our unit of consumption output is limited. 

This is high time for us to think about sustainability. In simple terms, sustainability and green consumption are related to the development that meets the needs of the present society without limiting or compromising on the ability of future generations. It is important for individuals to restructure their consumption behaviour through a consumer-centric sustainability approach. Marketers need to focus on the consumer and not the products or brands which means the marketing communication should focus on behavioural changes at an individual and societal level.  

A sustainable world is more possible if companies follow the triple bottom line approach which warrants better business practices beyond traditional business goals of profit maximisation. This approach adds dimensions of social and environmental sustainability to the focus of profit. The environmental dimension focuses on the organization’s activities related to environmental resources. The social dimension relates to the organization’s impact on the well-being of people, the community, and society at large. The economic dimension refers to value creation and financial performance.       

A sustainable world is more possible if companies follow the triple bottom line approach which warrants better business practices beyond traditional business goals of profit maximisation.

Unsustainable practices have emerged to create an imbalanced world due to various reasons. Population growth and rapid adoption of technology is the primary driver for fuelling mindless consumption. Scientific discoveries have reduced death rates, increased the birth rate of healthy children, and extended the life span of people. Scientific discoveries and rapid mechanisation of production processes have reduced production and marketing costs creating more demand across geographies. So there is a democratization of demand for utilities, products, and services across the globe leading to a rapid rise for products and services. The earth’s ability is limited to generate consumables at the rate in which they are consumed today. The economic policies and political systems have propelled mass consumption. More the merrier is based on the principle of welfare nation. Consequential human behavior and value system have propelled the principles of immediate gratification than mindful consumption. Bodily desires for material comfort and luxury has led individuals to suffer from selective dementia on balance in nature!

What is the way out? What should be done for the future so that neither we have to eat our babies nor we live a hostile world to the next generation where wars will be fought for basics like food and water? 

To bring a balance on earth and to allow Mother Nature to create in a sustainable way for future generations, we need to have four levels of intervention: Policy and Laws, Business Strategy; Technology and Design and Values and Behavioral Changes at the individual level.  There is a movement across the world to build a consensus on sustainable development goals (SDGs). The target is to achieve these goals by 2030. Many nations have agreed to UNO resolution on these goals and have brought legislation and policy changes to support sustainable development goals. 

Companies have started working on business strategies; developing and adopting green technologies that support balance between consumption and natural environment across the entire value chain (procurement, transportation, value addition; manufacturing, and marketing) for green products and brands. Marketers are promoting green purchase behaviour among consumers by highlighting concerns for environmental issues and bringing behavioural and practice-related changes among consumers. Sustainable marketing needs to focus on four goals i.e. (1) individual consumer concerns, behaviour, and practices; (2) environmental laws, regulations and policies; (3) organizational sustainability strategies and sustainability markets and finally (4) reframing sustainability perspectives at the institutional, social and individual level.  

However, the role of the individual is more important. It doesn’t matter how many policy changes by governments are brought in or to what greater detail sustainable business practices are followed by the organizations unless there is a realization at the individual customer level that we need to live differently for the planet to survive, we will never be able to build a sustainable world. It’s high time to wake up and practice green consumer behavior failing which each one of us will be suffering from Khali’s syndrome.

About the author

Dr Tapan K Panda is Professor and Director at SVKM's NMIMS, Hyderabad Campus. He has over 20 years of rich academic experience.

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha