“Throwaway Society
…A special issue of the Journal of Industrial Ecology, written by:
Dr. Tim Cooper from the centre for sustainable Consumption in the UK.
The article’s topic is sustainable consumption, highlighting the significance of product life spans as a significant factor in the rising quantity of household waste generated by industrial nations.
The Article contributes to recent advances in Life-Cycle thinking, and demonstrates how longer product life spans may secure progress towards sustainable consumption
I found the Article really interesting, and I believe that these are topics that everyone should be aware of, future designers, and consumers alike.
Consume dictionary definition:
To destroy or expend by use; use up.
Sustainable consumption is defined as
“The consumption of goods and services that meet the basic needs and quality of life without jeopardizing future generations”
For Industrialised countries, this implies a reduction in the throughput of resources, which requires a shift from a linear economy to a circular economy.
This is a linear economy.
Extraction
Production
Distribution
Consumption/ use
And disposal....
....It’s a linear system in a limited environment. A system which has a huge negative impact on society, cultures and the environment, all for our convenience of consuming cheap products.
This linear system didn’t just happen; it was designed this way in post war WW2 years to support the booming economy. This is the idea by which we still live today.
It’s taken to the point where products are designed for short life using fashion or durability, just to keep the rate of product turnover up.
If this is a designed system, we can re-design it. I believe it up to consumers’ and what they choose and demand. So that explains how things are in our linear economy, but a circular economy is what we want to aim for.
This is a new Model showing the complementary roles of Efficiency and Sufficiency as drivers towards Sustainable Consumption.
Efficiency being: The same quantity of material, but providing a longer service through efficient use of material and energy. Although such innovation alone may not lead to sustainable development as long as consumption continues to rise. Alone efficiency is ‘Green’ but not sustainable.
Sufficiency is Slow Consumption: Reduced throughput of product and service through increasing product durability and providing careful maintenance.
So as you can see on the Model, the two drivers can together mark a route to Sustainable Consumption.
*The reduced material and energy throughput aren’t offset by increased consumption, *and the economy remains healthy because products are carefully manufactured and maintained,
*and there is less dependence on rising consumption for economic stability.
The example I passed around is an example of sustainability, of re-use and increased sufficiency. Limca is a beverage both manufactured and popular in India, and large populations require these kind of sustainable actions.
Comparing it to this very familiar takeaway coffee cup which is a mix of materials and therefore difficult to recycle, and worse, impossible to re-use like this glass bottle.
Germany, through its’ Closed Substance Cycle and Waste Management Act, has a well-established and increasingly recognised system. Even thin plastic bottles such as these are kept by the consumer and then returned for re-use. An automatic machine returns the 15 Euro cents deposit which was added to the retail price of the beverage, It all adds up and it’s a system which really works.
Cooper’s article continues to cover many topics with convincing information, including Life Cycle Thinking, when a product is designed with broad interest in consumption, beyond the point of purchase to all phases, as identified in The Story of Stuff.
He discusses Designing for Longevity, and goes in depth into a UK study of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior.
“Mainstream economics is deeply imbedded in modernity’s’ vision of progress and growth.” (Reisch 2001)
This means time is money and that people consume at a high rate.
Long Now Foundation in the US aims to change this attitude, helping them towards thinking, understanding and acting responsibly against future consequences on a century-long scale...
In the UK, many have had their own incentive. The 50%, form an in-depth study, who believed products last long enough tended to more likely purchase higher quality and seek maintenance and repair.
Cooper clearly defines further research needs, including:
*Life Span data for consumers,
*A better general consumer understanding of the issue,
*Ability of manufacturers ti specify design life of their products, and
a deeper exploration of consumer values and attitudes.
He then concludes:
*Public commitment to the changes required if the throwaway society is to be superseded remains unconvincing,
* Life-cycle thinking is of considerable importance to designers, manufacturers, and consumers in responding to the challenge of sustainable consumption.
It is vital that academic study goes beyond a marketing context, understanding the subsequent phases of product use and disposal.
*Evidence shows that UK consumers are not optimizing product life spans.
*Measures are needed to promote products with increased durability to encourage owners to take good care of their pos- sessions and to provide greater market incentives for longer-lasting products.
*Despite long-established criticism of the throwaway society, there remains a lack of scholarly research on the subject. Improved theoretical understanding and empirical data are required. Interest in product life spans, however, is growing. Although the throwaway society still prevails, signs have appeared of an emerging cultural critique of consumption patterns that, too often, have been characterized by excess speed
and shortsightedness.
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