Consumer Champions Steward for a Just Transition to Sustainable Lifestyles
Last week, leading consumer advocacy groups, international organisations, businesses, governments and civil society joined for a powerful dialogue and global campaign to demand a Just Transition to Sustainable Lifestyles.
For World Consumer Rights Day we made this call, aware of the urgency to meet climate and sustainable development goals and the increasing support from consumers for sustainable living. Throughout the week we dispelled myths, agreed that affordability, availability and accessibility are key to a just transition, and broke down what this needs to look like in practice.
A DIALOGUE ACROSS 100 GLOBAL LEADERS WITH AND FOR CONSUMERS
Our Sustainable Lifestyles Summit saw 650+ attendees and 110 speakers who represented diverse sectors, stakeholder groups that are core to a successful transition - government, business, civil society, and international institutions.
With different backgrounds, perspectives and covering all geographic regions, leaders spoke to building fairness across intersecting areas of sustainability, including food, energy, transport and much more.
The Issue
Whilst recognition has grown that consumer action is critical to solving the planetary crisis, experts referred to recent global and national research sharing how many of us now want to take action. In late 2023 our global study found that 90% of consumers want to shift towards sustainable lifestyles.
Across contexts, sectors and studies – the figures fluctuate but remain high. In Brazil, for example, 76% of consumers would boycott unsustainable brands if given more affordable options, reflected our Member, IDEC.
But while there is willingness, it is the values-action gap we need to address.
The core barriers we face: Affordability, availability, and accessibility
To truly empower consumers through affordable, available and accessible products and services, systemic changes from governments and business are critical, so that sustainable choices become the norm, rather than the exception.
We heard how certain initiatives are offering a good starting point, such as subsidies in Australia in the transition towards clean energy or Lidl working towards price parity between plant-based and conventional products. In mobility and plastics, focussing on key priorities including infrastructure for sustainable transport and facilities for reducing and recycling waste will have big impact.
Serving the legitimate needs of consumers
Interventions – particularly in energy and food – will also help ensure the legitimate needs of consumers are upheld. In sessions on consumer centred energy and gender justice we explored just how excluded certain consumers are.
This extends to young renters and isolated communities across urban and rural regions transition due to infrastructure investment gaps, and we heard how the most vulnerable households in need of energy are often female led.
Reimagined accessibility
We also looked at the power of how we communicate with consumers – the tools, approach, information and messaging we use. To reimagine accessibility key learnings shared included:
- Accurate, reliable, and transparent information is needed to put an end to greenwashing. Enabling this will enhance consumer confidence - providing clarity and accuracy through clearer food labelling schemes for example. Ending greenwashing will help motivate more consumers and encourage trust.
- How technology can catalyse action, examples shared included Digital Product Passports, digital payments, QR codes, AI and data-driven policies - so long as used responsibly.
- The value of understanding the different consumer needs, desires, motivations – to genuinely build our knowledge of their contexts and lived experience and adapting interventions and messages to help them.
- The role of positive, actionable, relatable messages to drive greater outcomes, shifting away from messaging that presents addressing climate change as insurmountable, and the win-win benefits can come from sustainable consumption.
We can go further together
Whilst action is needed from decision-makers in business and policy – wider collaboration will mean we can go much further.
In dialogue on achieving access to food, we looked at how more civic participation can prevent the consumer from being a passive bystander – so they actively shape food production, distribution, and values in the food system. We heard powerful stories of how indigenous and other groups – when actively involved – have helped to take action and educate many others to preserve nature and encourage sustainable living.
BUILDING THE DRUMBEAT FOR MARCH 15: MEMBERS AND PARTNERS CAMPAIGN
Against the backdrop of our Summit, over 100 Members alongside partners and consumers started campaigns and activities which culminated in a united call on Saturday March 15.
Our reach was wide and scope diverse and we are united by a common vision to demand a just transition - from our Members the Consumer Council of Fiji hosting a large sustainability expos to the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe working with authorities on community environmental cleanups, to vzbz (Germany) running national wide advocacy on the overconsumption of unsafe products.
Statements were also released from the European Commission, United Nations Development Programme, the Chilean Government, WISE, Sustainable Energy for All, International Standards Organization and others in support for the day.
WHAT’S NEXT
Our dialogue and campaign with Members and partners has demonstrated the power of multistakeholder global collaboration to drive consumer action. We did this with both urgency and opportunity at the heart of our message. We are grateful to those who built this with us, hosting events, joining panellists and sharing media messages.
As we look towards COP30 and other global leadership moments, will continue our collaboration and welcome all change makers to join us.
Together, we will place consumer protection and empowerment at the heart of a just transition. We can stand hopeful and committed to driving forward global goals and a new social compact for you and I.