Sustainable consumption has been defined as the 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 lifecycle, so as not to jeopardize the needs of future generations. The term is essentially an umbrella concept that links a number of key issues: meeting basic human needs; enhancing the quality of life; improving resource efficiency; increasing the use of renewable energy resources; minimizing waste and avoiding toxic emissions; and taking a lifecycle perspective and keeping international and intergenerational equity in mind in consumer behaviour. Free guide on writing Nature Essay & topics: Custom-Essay.ws online writers are experienced! The essence of the problem of sustainable consumption was captured in Agenda 21:

Although consumption patterns are very high in certain parts of the world, the basic consumer needs of a large section of humanity are not being met. This results in excessive demands and unsustainable lifestyles among the richer segments, which place immense stress on the environment. The poorer segments, meanwhile, are unable to meet food, health care, and shelter and educational needs.

It is increasingly recognized that rectifying “global unsustainability” will take decades, in terms of both consumption and production. Many unsustainable patterns of consumption are deeply rooted in cultural habits. And despite a growing environmental awareness worldwide, recent experience in promoting sustainable consumption in a number of countries suggests that the majority of consumers still have little knowledge of the environmental impact of their consumption habits and lifestyles. While an increasing number express their readiness to purchase environmentally friendly products and even to pay a “green premium”, they may be unable to tell which producers make such products or where to find them. On the production side the situation is equally difficult: current capital stocks of physical infrastructure, for example in housing, energy, transportation and waste management, can lock societies into unsustainable patterns of consumption over which consumers have little influence.