The politics of sustainable consumption: the case of the Netherlands

Abstract

The environmental pressure associated with contemporary modes of material provisioning in advanced countries suggests the need to foster more sustainable consumption. Despite growing interest in sustainability, the Netherlands currently has few effective and legitimate measures in place that focus on the role of citizen-consumers. Existing policy styles and instruments have not reduced significantly the environmental impacts of consumption. An explanation for this inadequacy resides in the technocratic origins of environmental policymaking and the pronounced tendency to rely on the presumed rationality of producers situated on the supply side of production-consumption chains. A central issue, therefore, becomes the organization of an overt politics of sustainable consumption. We explore here possible alternatives to facilitate sustainable consumption in the Netherlands and review the policy initiatives that non-governmental organizations and the Dutch government have to date undertaken. The analysis evaluates these efforts through a theoretical framework designed to chart the development of a democratic vision of sustainable consumption.

Research core and framework of sustainability science

“…Although the situation has not changed markedly, sustainable consumption is becoming a definable area of international environmental politics, especially since the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, which encourages the reduction and elimination of unsustainable patterns of production and consumption (Cohen 2005). There have been reports on sustainable consumption policies in France (Sanches 2005), The Netherlands (Martens and Spaargaren 2005), and the United States . They mainly involve the following tools (Sanches 2005;Cohen et al 2005): public policy initiatives, economic incentives, social and political protest campaigns, and lifestyle reinventions.…”

Cultura de Consumo, Sustentabilidade e Práticas Empresariais: Como as Empresas Podem Contribuir para Promover o valor Simbólico da Sustentabilidade nas Atividades de Consumo?

“…Há aquelas que discutem sobre a insuficiência das pesquisas sobre o comportamento do consumidor e apontam para a necessidade de adotar uma abordagem interdisciplinar do consumo num sentido mais amplo, que inclua, além dos aspectos culturais, os aspectos estruturais (Heiskanen, & Pantzar, 1997;Dolan, 2002;Schafer, & Crane, 2005;Mont, & Plepys, 2008;Thøgersen, 2010;Assadourian, 2010;Costa, & Teodósio, 2011;Silva, 2012;Silva, & Oliveira, 2012). Outras pesquisas analisam a influência da governança na concepção de instrumentos políticos para o consumo sustentável (Jackson, & Michaelis, 2003;Thøgersen, 2005;Cohen, 2005;Martens, & Spaargaren, 2005;Sanches, 2005;Barber, 2008;Pape et al, 2011;Fuchs, & Lorek, 2014;Berg, & Hukkinen, 2011;Silva, & Gomez, 2011). E há aquelas que examinam o papel das empresas na promoção do consumo sustentável (Michaelis, 2003;Van Nes, & Cramer, 2006;Muster, 2011;Silva, Corrêa, & Gómez, 2012;Silva, & Cândido, 2014 (Lima, 2010;Araújo, 2011;Guimarães, 2012).…”

Exploring Definitions and Practices of Responsible Tourism in Kinabalu National Park, Sabah, Malaysia

“…This tool is also very important to citizen-consumers in fostering more sustainable consumption to support responsible tourism (Martens & Spaargaren, 2005). Budeanu (2007) noted that compared to corporate and governmental efforts, tourists must be less interested in adopting sustainable lifestyles or supporting responsible tourism products.…”