THE ROLE OF SOCIETY IN ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION PATTERNS

THE ROLE OF SOCIETY IN ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION

PATTERNS

Larry Ardan

Arizona State University

Course

Professor Albert

March, 2024

Week 1

Introduction

Judging from historical developments, consumption patterns in humans have existed

since birth. The nature of consumption that exists in humans has always experienced

development, this has increased since the shift in society, namely from society to society

agrarian society to a modern society and now to a global society. This change was initiated

by the birth of industries that began using machines, machines are new inventions in the

field of technology that can simplify work methods and increase the production of goods

needed by humans that were previously made by humans using hands and simple

technology. These changes have an impact on the management of natural resources on earth,

whether on land or at sea, because the materials produced come from natural resources.

Natural resources (NR) is something that can be utilized for various purposes and

needs of human life in order to live more prosperously around our natural environment.

Natural resources can be found anywhere such as in the soil, water, land surface, air, and so

on. Therefore, preserving the potential of natural resources is very necessary for the needs of

the lives of many people. Humans in daily life always need food as a primary need and

clothing as a secondary need, and these needs must always be met because they are basic

needs and are included in the sustainable consumption of society.

Natural Resources (NR) are maintained, processed and utilized by the community for

the sustainability of life, therefore it requires community participation in the preservation of

Natural Resources (NR) as much as possible. The role according to Soekanto is a dynamic

process of position (status). If a person carries out his rights and obligations in accordance

with his position, he carries out a role. The difference between position and role is for the

benefit of science. The two cannot be separated because one depends on the other and vice

versa.

So dependent are humans on natural resources (NR) that people must be smart in the

utilization of natural resources, people should not only utilize existing natural resources for

their daily needs in moderation, because the preservation of natural resources determines the

fate of future generations who also need the same thing.

To respond to global climate change, there has been recognition of an international

intergovernmental forum agreement on climate change through the UNFCCC (United

Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). There are 17 targets towards the

sustainable development goals, where the 12th target is to ensure sustainable production and

consumption patterns. Implementing various frameworks of the 10-year program of

sustainable production and consumption, all countries must take action led by the state

developing countries, taking into account the level of development and capabilities of

developing countries. By 2030 there has been an achievement of sustainable governance and

efficient use of natural and environmentally friendly resources.

According to UN data in 2007 there will be an urban population of 3.5 billion people

out of a total of 7 billion people in the world. By 2050 this is expected to increase to 6

billion people out of a total of 8.5 billion. About 80% of global GDP is generated by urban

communities, while urban areas occupy only 2% of the world's total land area. The urban

population in United States this year is estimated at 125 million out of a total population of

around 250 million. It is projected to increase by 2030 to nearly 200 million out of a total

population of nearly 300 million. The rapid growth of urban areas will greatly affect the use

of resources, which in turn will have social changes and environmental impacts on the

community. The use of flow resources, such as water, paper and plastic, is strongly

influenced by people's lifestyles. China and United States are the two largest contributors of

plastic waste in the oceans. Satellite imagery shows a collection of waste on the high seas

such as new islands. This waste includes bottles, plastic bags and other living matter. Plastic

production consumes twelve million barrels of oil or the equivalent of 11 trillion rupiah. The

average use of plastic bags per United States is around 700 pieces/year, which in a day

reaches 4000 tons with an estimated consumption of 100 billion bags per year. Plastic is

difficult to degrade and will take hundreds to thousands of years to decompose completely.

Some of the factors that greatly affect it include the consumption patterns of individuals and

organizations both government and private. The behavior of economic agents such as

businesses, consumers and communities. The nature of stakeholder participation in decision-

making. And infrastructure systems (both 'soft' and 'hard') and technology. Some examples

of consumption patterns of concern are waste disposal by individuals, buying new clothes

and gadgets every week, using up to 7 layers of toilet paper when 1 layer is sufficient. Air-

conditioned bus transportation, wide seats with only 12 passengers, making exclusive for the

sake of satisfaction. Excessive food and beverages in seminars/exhibitions, leading to

wasteful disposal. In urban areas, there will be natural interactions between people in the

surrounding environment. While artificial interactions will be seen in a market where as a

public facility where economic transactions gather.

Sustainable Consumption

Sustainable consumption is rarely heard in our daily lives, unlike environmental

terms such as climate change or global warming. In fact, sustainable consumption has been

widely discussed within the consumer movement since a dozen years ago. Starting from the

Earth Summit in Rio de Janero, Brazil in 1992, consumer activists realized that sustainable

development could not work without changes in people's consumption patterns. Thus, the

concept of sustainable consumption was added to the UN Guidelines for Consumer

Protection in 1999 to complement the consumer protection reference that has been

recognized by the UN since 1985.

Sustainable consumption is a pattern of consumption of goods and services that does

not have a negative impact on the environment in order to fulfill basic human needs.

Sustainable consumption is the result of a consumer's decision-making process as a

responsibility towards the environment in accordance with their needs. Practicing

sustainable consumption means being an ethical consumer, i.e. feeling responsible for the

social and environmental issues in the world and combating these problems with one's own

behavior patterns.

Sustainable Consumption is the use of products and services to meet basic needs and

towards a better quality of life, by minimizing the use of natural resources, chemicals and

the disposal of waste and pollutants so as not to endanger the needs of future generations.

In United States, for example in New York City, which is a developing city, is one of

the industrial cities in United States, so many kinds of people, from natives to migrants who

come from outside the city of New York and even come from abroad because considering

the city of New York which has a large number of migrants. New York City is strategically

positioned between the borders of Singapore and Malaysia. The people of New York City

are classified as a developed society, some of them belong to the upper middle class and

have excessive consumption patterns. This is due to their economic condition and ability to

consume anything and in any amount. For this group, the expected change in consumption

pattern is to reduce the amount of consumption. On the other hand, most of the population,

especially the indigenous people who live in the small islands of New York City. For them,

let alone reducing consumption, even basic needs have not been met. The principle of

sustainable consumption must ensure that every citizen, every resident must have their basic

needs met. This disadvantaged group must actually increase their consumption. Access to

basic needs such as food and energy must be ensured. But certainly not in ways that deplete

natural resources and damage the earth. Not repeating the mistakes that have been made

before.

In consumption, consumers tend to want convenience and practicality, as well as

comfort. This is what the middle class is enjoying. Having their own vehicle, the comfort of

a refrigerated home, enjoying eating out and various other practicalities that make them

proud. The development of the middle group in New York city is quite rapid because it is

also caused by the convenience in the process of obtaining needs outside of the basic needs

of the community. It is no wonder that this group is the target of campaigns to change

consumption patterns.

The idea of changing consumption patterns may worry some people because they

think they have to give up the ease and comfort they are enjoying. This means reducing the

quality of life and putting oneself in the past. For example, having to struggle to catch public

transportation, sweating because you don't use air conditioning, or others.

Implementing a sustainable consumption pattern does not mean giving up these

conveniences. So, what makes it different from conventional patterns? Understanding the

principles of sustainable consumption is simple. It's the implementation that may not be

easy. Some basic principles are: (1) understand what we consume, (2) understand the impact

of consumption on the environment and the safety of the earth, (3) understand the impact of

consumption on other communities, (4) understand the impact on the balance of trade, the

national economy and local industries.

 Understanding what we consume

What we buy and consume is often not thought through. The character of consumers

in general is that it is difficult to distinguish between shopping for products that only fulfill

desires, or buying goods that are really needed. Sometimes people only buy things on the

basis of collecting or prestige in order to achieve a high lifestyle.

Understanding the products that are consumed must be owned by all people, people

must know which products are environmentally friendly or not. Sufficient knowledge and

the availability of adequate and accurate information are required. In choosing a product,

check its ingredients. Or whether to produce it requires chemicals that are then released and

produce hazardous waste and threaten the environment. Or from the product itself, causing

waste that will become a burden on the earth.

 Understand the impact of consumption on the environment and the safety of the earth

Sustainable consumption is about caring for future generations. Our consumption

patterns should not only erode natural resources and throw all kinds of waste into the earth.

The next generation also has the right to feel the enjoyment of natural resources because

technological advances will not be able to overcome the greed of the earth's inhabitants. As

Mahatma Gandhi said, the earth is sufficient to meet the needs of all humans, but will not be

able to fulfill the desires of a person or a handful of greedy humans. the point is to consume

efficiently, in moderation, not wasteful and excessive, without having to lose comfort,

convenience, and retreat to past patterns.

Sustainable Consumption is the use of goods and services to respond to basic needs

and meet the conditions of life, by minimizing the use of natural resources, toxic materials,

and emissions of waste and pollutants during the life cycle, so as not to endanger the needs

of future generations (Sustainable Consumption Symposium. Oslo, Norway; 19-20 January

1994).

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) notes several

areas of challenge for sustainable development, where the business sector can help develop

more sustainable levels and patterns of consumption. On the competition side, the

opportunity is for businesses to help consumers choose and use their goods and services

sustainably. To do so, businesses must creating sustainable value for consumers by

providing products and services that meet their functional and emotional needs - now and for

future generations - while respecting environmental limits and shared values.

Some of the issues that pose challenges to the business sector are:

Drivers of Global Consumption

 Rapid growth of global population - 9 billion inhabitants expected by 2050

 Rise in global affluence and associated consumption - the global middle class is

expected to triple by 2030;

 Low-income consumers constitute a market of US$5,000,000,000,000,000

 A culture of "consumerism" among higher income groups, which are the largest

in terms of global per capita income

Global consumption patterns & their impact

 Earth's Ecosystems - 60% of Earth's ecosystem services have been degraded in

the last 50 years.

 Supply of energy and resource materials required for industrial growth Natural

resource consumption is expected to increase to 170% of the earth's bio-capacity

by 2040.

 Human social systems and well-being - Human well-being does not always

depend on high levels of consumption

Consumer role

 Consumers are increasingly concerned about environmental, social and

economic issues, and are more willing to act on their concerns

 Consumer willingness often does not translate into sustainable consumer

behavior due to various factors - such as; a.availability, b.affordability,

c.convenience, d.product performance.conflicting priorities, f.skepticism and, g.

force of habit

The role of business

Key influences on sustainable consumption. The business case: Business approaches to

sustainable consumption can be grouped into three categories:

 Innovation - the business process of developing new products and service

improvements and shifting the business to incorporate the agreed terms of

maximizing social value and minimizing environmental costs as the 'raison

d'etre of the business' (bottom line).

 Influencing choice - the use of marketing and awareness-raising campaigns to

activate and encourage consumers to choose and use more efficient and

sustainable products.

 Editing options - removal of "unsustainable" products and services from the

market in partnership with other actors in society.

Society's Role In Sustainable Consumption

In recent years, environmental issues have received much attention, reflecting the

increasing public concern and awareness of environmental issues. Campaigns of various

environmental groups have spread knowledge and awareness of environmental issues.

Media coverage on environmental issues has increased dramatically. Environmental policy

has also been heavily influenced by international protocols, such as the agreements

established in the Earth Summit series.

There is evidence that most Western markets have been influenced by green

consumer behavior, meaning behavior that reflects concern about the effects of

manufacturing and consumption on the natural environment. In addition to legal changes,

over the past decade many companies have begun to feel the impact of market forces,

consumers have gone from not caring to caring more about the environment. Even now,

consumers often boycott producer-generated behavior based on media reporting and

pressure group activity.

The use of machines in the industrial world greatly helps the fulfillment of human

needs, where the goods needed are completed faster than the previous simple technology,

the price is also more affordable so that it can almost be enjoyed by people from various

circles, and the amount of production has increased rapidly. This spurs human consumption

patterns to increase, producers as providers of goods are motivated to explore bright ideas, in

order to meet the increasing human needs. This has resulted in humans no longer shopping

on the basis of basic needs alone, but on the basis of desires, everything This results in the

consumptive nature of humans being played by producers. This consumptive nature spurs

producers to innovate, producing goods that attract consumers, even at high prices, so that in

this modern era not all goods can be enjoyed by all groups, especially those classified as

luxury goods. This creates a gap between consumers. The things mentioned above make the

position of consumers weak. Before the change from an agrarian society to an industrial

society, consumers and producers had equal positions, but after the change, there was an

inequality of bargaining power between the two parties, where the position of producers was

higher than that of consumers. In fact, the weakening of consumers became more "so" when

humans entered the modern era and until now globalization. Advances in science and

technology have made the world seem borderless, which has led to the emergence of free

markets / free trade. Not only limited to free trade, but various business competition also

emerged, even unfair competition practices that harm consumers as well. Consumers

become "objects" of unfair competitive practices and harm consumers, due to limited and

misleading information, no bargaining power, limited access to economic resources, weak

education/knowledge. There is no consideration for the health of consumers and the

sustainability of consumption and environmental safety (sustainability for future life). These

things have attracted the attention of various groups who are concerned about how

consumers are harmed because of the weakness of the law as a means of protecting society

and are of concern to environmentalists.

It is felt that the overexploitation of natural resources is predicted to have a bad

impact on the earth that is inhabited, which is a concern today is that humans have

conquered nature to fulfill human needs themselves, but hundreds, thousands or even

millions of people are still wallowing in poverty and living with unpleasant quality. There

are still people who are not able to get enough food to support their creative life.A producer,

does not think about where the materials used to produce an item come from and also does

not think about what the future impact will be if they use these materials excessively, nor

even have a design for industrial waste that is simply flowed into various areas such as

oceans and rivers, without any consideration for the disruption of the ecosystem in the area,

as well as the use of energy in the process. Production does not pay attention to whether the

release of residual energy can destabilize the environment, nor does it pay attention to the

materials used in the manufactured goods whether they are environmentally friendly and

safe for consumer health, what exists in a producer is how to get big profits and how to meet

consumer needs quickly and satisfactorily, without regard to future impacts.

High production can lead to over-exploitation of natural resources, resulting in

environmental damage, such as: depletion of the ozone layer, increased climate change, soil

degradation, destruction of forest areas, limited water sources, decreased energy sources, air

pollution and erosion. This is a global threat. Given that humans are creatures that live in a

cycle of life with nature, experts predict that with the above conditions, in the future there

will be chaos where petroleum and coal run out and food and water reserves (natural

resources) can no longer meet the needs of all people.

Our civilization faces this risk because we have misused natural resources and

disrupted the natural system by pushing the earth to its limits. The earth's ability to support

human life and other life has been greatly reduced. There is also inequality for consumers,

especially in developing countries, namely economic imbalance, which affects their

consumption power, this imbalance can also affect the behavior of society in general for the

lower middle class where economic inequality can create criminal acts that can threaten the

peace and stability of a country.

In this research, the author discusses sustainable consumption patterns that are safe

for consumer health and environmentally friendly so as to achieve the goal of humans being

able to survive on earth until their children and grandchildren through sustainable

consumption patterns and sustainable living. This can be achieved through how the

government promotes sustainable consumption patterns, namely through education that can

increase consumer bargaining power, provide access to consumers to non-hazardous

products, promote fair, equitable and sustainable economic and social development and

environmental protection by providing information and easy access to adequate information

to enable consumers to make informed choices according to individual wants and needs.

Sustainable consumption is the awareness of consumers to fulfill their needs in

accordance with what is needed and ensure that the fulfillment of their needs does not harm

the environment. This awareness arises, when many consumers have begun to enjoy

education from various disciplines, awareness of the fulfillment of needs in accordance with

their needs has emerged. Consumers are also beginning to feel how they have become the

object of producers' efforts, because many consumers have suffered losses both in terms of

health and from consumers who have realized the imbalance of the earth for all the goods

used so far are not safe for the environment. For example, industrial production uses energy

as a driving force, and the use of energy and fuel is becoming increasingly sophisticated.

Commercial energy consumption is growing at an ever-increasing rate. This consumption

also has a serious impact on the environment, in the form of acid streams, emissions of

methane and other mining wastes; oil spills from coastal and offshore installations and from

ships and air pollution by sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide when coal, oil

or gas is burned, The energy industries are major consumers of non-renewable resources and

some will increase in price as suppliers to the chemical industry.

Commercial energy use and its products generate large amounts of waste. An

example of a product is an electric heating/cooling system that uses high-grade heat to

produce low-grade heat, which means that it uses large amounts of heat or energy to raise or

lower the room temperature by only a few degrees from the ambient temperature. Many

power generation centers discharge waste heat into the surrounding environment in the form

of hot water, hot air or hot steam, many buildings are not well insulated which is a waste

because heat from outside can leak inside or vice versa, many industrial processes still use

more energy than needed to generate their operational power. Motor vehicles consume huge

amounts of oil, the energy used is not only inefficient but also a major source of pollution,

currently the use of all forms of energy, such as in the case of humans using equipment with

energy use electricity, the continuous use of environmentally unfriendly chemicals such as

perfume also helps increase environmental pollution.

Due to the things mentioned above, the earth that we live in has decreased, for

example; landslides, this happens because of indiscriminate logging of forests, where

humans do not pay attention to the balance of nature in order to fulfill human needs. Erosion

and abrasion, is the process of erosion of the earth's surface by water and sea water, this

damage is due to natural activities, environmental damage due to human activities in the

form of, namely humans utilizing the environment without realizing it can be detrimental to

the environment, for example; garbage, this garbage disposal can have a chain effect for

environmental pollution in the form of foul odors that menggannguorang around, accelerate

the outbreak of diseases and sources of disease transmission, clogged sewers and water

flows that result in flooding, dampark damage the comfort and beauty of the city. Pollution

or pollution due to rapid population growth and not supported by the carrying capacity of the

environment and not paying attention to the rules of utilization of natural resources

environmentally sound pollution consists of water pollution, air pollution, soil pollution and

noise pollution, critical soil because the productivity of the soil as a place to grow plants

decreases and eventually barren and arid, so that plants can not grow again and produce

according to human expectations. Climate drift, where climate conditions have shifted or

changed, this causes anxiety and fear, especially for farmers, fishermen, shipping and

aviation. Inaccurate weather forecasts, the onset of hurricanes, droughts and excessive

rainfall. Acid rain, which is rain whose water is polluted by pollutants (dust and smoke) and

corrosives, as a result of which objects hit by this rain will become porous and rusty, and if

it hits humans it will cause skin and respiratory diseases and if it hits plants it will stunt their

growth and reduce the productivity of these plants. This rain occurs in industrialized

countries. Ozone depletion which is the earth's protector from the heat of ultra violet and

infrared rays from the sun, especially the ozone layer in the atmosphere, when it has thinned

and even perforated at both poles of the earth, so that infrared rays can penetrate the earth's

atmosphere and cannot be reflected back, which can eventually raise the earth's temperature

and the earth's conditions are getting hotter which results in massive melting of ice at both

poles of the earth which can raise the surface of the earth sea water over time. This can

drown cities in coastal or low-lying areas in the next few decades which can cause ozone

depletion due to the use of CFC (Carbon Fluoro Oxide) gas, Freon, Foem, Methanol as a

result of the use of air conditioners and other cooling devices such as refrigerators. The

things mentioned above have become a global issue, so the UN issued guidelines for

consumer protection, one of the principles of which is that the government must set its own

priorities for consumer protection, one of which is the environment. Consumer protection

against hazards to their health and safety is what the government can do in each country,

namely in the form of promoting sustainable consumption patterns, namely through

providing easy access to information to all consumers in the country, adequate access and

allowing them to be able to make information choices according to individual needs and

desires, providing education for consumers including environmental impact education.

Sustainable patterns of production and consumption in industrialized countries are a

major cause of the continued deterioration of the global environment, hence all countries

should promote sustainable consumption patterns, as well as developing countries should

strive to achieve sustainable consumption patterns in their development process. Policies to

promote sustainable consumption should take into account the goals of eradicating poverty,

meeting the basic human needs of all members of society and reducing inequalities within

and between countries. Governments in each country must be able to pressure all companies

to comply with the laws and regulations of the countries where they do business, so that

fraudulent business practices do not occur, and every item produced is environmentally

friendly and safe for human health, and the goods are given a symbol that is known to the

international community as a whole so that there is no misunderstanding of the meaning of

the symbol. Businesses must also comply with the provisions of international standards for

consumer protection that the competent authorities of the countries concerned have agreed

upon.

Governments should establish or promote appropriate measures, including legal

systems, safety regulations, international or national standards, to ensure that products are

safe and good for consumers' health and safe for future use (environment).

The government should intensify its efforts to prevent practices that damage the

economic interests of consumers by ensuring that manufacturers, distributors and others

involved in the provision of goods and services comply with established laws and mandatory

standards, and consumer organizations should be encouraged to monitor harmful practices.

Governments should promote the development and implementation of national and

international standards for the safety and quality of goods. Governments should encourage

all parties to participate in the free flow of accurate information on all aspects of consumer

products. And consumer access to accurate information about the environmental impact of

products and services should be encouraged through means such as product profiles,

environmental reports by industry, information centers for consumers, voluntary eco-

labeling programs and transparent product information.

Governments, in their own national context, encourage the formulation and

implementation by businesses, in cooperation with consumer organizations. Governments

should regularly review relevant laws. United States itself already has Law Number 8 of

1999 concerning Consumer Protection, which was formed for the development of the

national economy in the era of globalization must be able to support the growth of the

business world so that it is able to produce a variety of goods / services that have

technological content that can improve the welfare of many people and at the same time get

certainty over the goods and / services obtained from trade without causing consumer harm.

Conclusion

The role of society towards sustainable consumption with environmental damage control

efforts that can be used is to reduce the production of carbon dioxide gas by reducing the use

of fuel and other greenhouse gas products, as an example of the use of biofuels.Suppress or

stop deforestation, reforestation on a large scale to create CO2 gas absorption areas.

Conducting international cooperation, pressuring the largest greenhouse gas producing

countries such as the US, Europe and so on, encouraging the UN to actively take preventive

action through treaties. In order to achieve sustainable living, a strategy towards this goal is

needed, namely by paying attention to the principles of sustainable living as follows:

maintaining / respecting the community of life, improving the quality of life, preserving the

diversity of the earth, avoiding the waste of natural resources, trying not to exceed the

carrying capacity of the earth, changing people's lifestyles and supporting people's creativity

to maintain their own environment, providing a national framework for integrating

development and conservation efforts, creating global cooperation.