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Last month, I attended my first Solutions Lab in Durham, North Carolina. For those that don't know, EDF is hosting Solutions Labs around the country to bring together sustainability thought leaders from all walks of life. To be honest, I was a little skeptical that the "unconference"-style event (one where attendees choose the topics of discussion) would be a good use of my time. Fortunately, my concerns were unwarranted. Not only was this one of the best conferences I've attended in a long time, but it also tackled an issue that the sustainable business community has generally shied away from – CONSUMPTION. One of the participants noted that even if companies become 20% more efficient in their use of water or cut waste by a third, we'd still be worse off if those same companies produced more goods or built more stores. What is at the root of our need to consume? Some would say that in a very primal way we're hardwired to consume. Is it to attract more mates? To survive harsh winters? Or simply to look cool? No one really knows. But we do know that our existing economic system is structured to reward consumption of all kinds, whether good or bad. When our leaders talk about supporting "growth" or increases in GDP, they're really talking about increasing consumption. If there's an oil spill and millions are spent to clean it up, that's considered a good thing by our current measure of progress. So, it's not just a personal problem, but also a larger societal one. So, if we accept this idea that it's very difficult to get people to consume less (media and business call us "consumers" after all), what are our options? In their seminal book, Natural Capitalism, Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, and Hunter Lovins discuss the need to move from products that have one useful life to products that are reused over and over and over again. The idea being that consumption doesn't matter as much if the energy and material embedded in our products can be constantly captured and reused. And yet, companies as a whole haven't made the switch to "closed loop" product design and manufacturing. They say it's too costly, or too difficult, or that consumers don't respond to these new product offerings. Interface Carpets, the poster child for closed-loop product design, has a service offering where they will take back old carpeting and turn it into new carpets. Unfortunately, they've had a heck of a time convincing customers that entering into a long-term leasing arrangement is good for their wallets. So, the CONSUMPTION CONUNDRUM is this: Is it realistic that consumers can be convinced to cut back? Should reducing consumption be a national policy goal? If not, what new business models can solve this monumental challenge? It's going to take a lot of great minds to solve this problem. Let's not be consumed by consumption. |