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Consuming Values and Contested Cultures: A Critical Analysis of the UK Strategy for Sustainable Consumption and Production

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  • Gill Seyfang

Abstract

The term “sustainable consumption” is subject to many interpretations, from Agenda 21's hopeful assertion that governments should encourage less materialistic lifestyles based on new definitions of “wealth” and “prosperity”, to the view prevalent in international policy discourse that green and ethical consumerism will be sufficient to transform markets to produce continual and “clean” economic growth. These different perspectives are examined using a conceptual framework derived from Cultural Theory, to illustrate their fundamentally competing beliefs about the nature of the environment and society, and the meanings attached to consumption. Cultural Theory argues that societies should develop pluralistic policies to include all perspectives. Using this framework, the paper examines the UK strategy for sustainable consumption, and identifies a number of failings in current policy. These are that the UK strategy is strongly biased towards individualistic, market-based and neo-liberal policies, so it can only respond to a small part of the problem of unsustainable consumption. Policy recommendations include measures to strengthen the input from competing cultures, to realize the potential for more collective, egalitarian and significantly less materialistic consumption patterns.

Suggested Citation

  • Gill Seyfang, 2004. "Consuming Values and Contested Cultures: A Critical Analysis of the UK Strategy for Sustainable Consumption and Production," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 62(3), pages 323-338.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:rsocec:v:62:y:2004:i:3:p:323-338
    DOI: 10.1080/0034676042000253936
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Annukka Berg, 2011. "Not Roadmaps but Toolboxes: Analysing Pioneering National Programmes for Sustainable Consumption and Production," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 34(1), pages 9-23, March.
    2. Jérôme Blanc & Marie Fare, 2016. "Turning values concrete: the role and ways of business selection in local currency schemes," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 74(3), pages 298-319, September.
    3. Nick Clarke & Clive Barnett & Paul Cloke & Alice Malpass, 2007. "The Political Rationalities of Fair-Trade Consumption in the United Kingdom," Politics & Society, , vol. 35(4), pages 583-607, December.
    4. Murat Yetkin & Fatma Özlem Güzel, 2020. "The Role of Countries’ Economic Development Level on Green Consumption Attitudes: A Study on Green Hotels," Journal of Economy Culture and Society, Istanbul University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 62(0), pages 167-183, December.
    5. Chenyi He & Ruifeng Liu & Zhifeng Gao & Xin Zhao & Charles A. Sims & Rodolfo M. Nayga, 2021. "Does local label bias consumer taste buds and preference? Evidence of a strawberry sensory experiment," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 37(3), pages 550-568, July.
    6. Salma Khalil & Ayman Ismail & Seham Ghalwash, 2021. "The Rise of Sustainable Consumerism: Evidence from the Egyptian Generation Z," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-25, December.
    7. Govindasamy, Ramu & Puduri, Venkata & Kelley, Kathleen & Simon, James E., 2012. "Increased Purchases of Locally Grown Ethnic Greens and Herbs due to Concerns about Food Miles," Journal of Food Distribution Research, Food Distribution Research Society, vol. 43(3), November.
    8. Seyfang, Gill, 2010. "Community action for sustainable housing: Building a low-carbon future," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(12), pages 7624-7633, December.
    9. Wilfred Dolfsma & Deborah Figart & Robert McMaster & Martha Starr, 2012. "Promoting Research on Intersections of Economics, Ethics, and Social Values: Editorial," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 70(2), pages 155-163, June.
    10. Manisha Anantharaman, 2018. "Critical sustainable consumption: a research agenda," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 8(4), pages 553-561, December.
    11. Frame, Bob & Brown, Judy, 2008. "Developing post-normal technologies for sustainability," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 225-241, April.
    12. Boncinelli, Fabio & Contino, Caterina & Romano, Caterina & Scozzafava, Gabriele & Casini, Leonardo, 2016. "Territory, environment, and healthiness in traditional food choices: insights into consumer heterogeneity," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 20(1), October.
    13. Animesh Ghosh & Prabha Bhola & Uthayasankar Sivarajah, 2022. "Emerging Associates of the Circular Economy: Analysing Interactions and Trends by a Mixed Methods Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-41, August.
    14. Murat Yetkin & Fatma Özlem Güzel, 2020. "The Role of Countries’ Economic Development Level on Green Consumption Attitudes: A Study on Green Hotels," Journal of Economy Culture and Society, Istanbul University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 62(62), pages 167-183, December.

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