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Role and Responsibility of the Consumer(s) in Sustainable Consumption

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Responsible Consumption and Production

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals ((ENUNSDG))

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Definitions

Sustainable consumption: as opposed to conventional consumption, takes into consideration the needs of future generations. It means use of goods and services that respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life while minimizing the use of natural resources, toxic materials, and emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle, so as not to jeopardize the needs of future generations. It rests on consuming in a different fashion and/or consuming less (Peyer et al. 2017). Sustainable consumption is often described as identical or similar to ecologically responsible behavior, environmentally friendly behavior, or ethical consumption, green consumption, and responsible consumption.

Positional (material) consumerism:consumption driven by concerns for status and social competition rather than utility; consumption that is motivated not just by personal needs for food, clothing, housing, and transport but also by desires for novelty, status, social comparison, and...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana and University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany

    Marina Žagar

Authors
  1. Marina Žagar
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marina Žagar .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. European School of Sustainability, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Center for Neuroscience & Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Anabela Marisa Azul

  3. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo University Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo, Brazil

    Luciana Brandli

  4. Istinye University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Pinar Gökcin Özuyar

  5. International Centre for Thriving, University of Chester, Chester, UK

    Tony Wall

Section Editor information

  1. University of Passo Fundo, Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil

    Luciana Londero Brandli

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Žagar, M. (2019). Role and Responsibility of the Consumer(s) in Sustainable Consumption. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A., Brandli, L., Özuyar, P., Wall, T. (eds) Responsible Consumption and Production. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71062-4_115-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71062-4_115-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71062-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71062-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

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