An introduction to the blog.
Earth’s population continues to grow. By 2030, the global middle class alone will reach about 4.8 billion people, as per the Brookings Institute. And global consumption will continue to grow accordingly, putting additional pressure on today’s environmental concerns. What can be done about this impeding conflict? What are the alternatives to the prevailing ways of how we consume? Is “reuse, reduce, recycle” all we can do? And how is it applicable?
Consumers around the world are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental effects of their consumption. And so do the companies that want to sell their products to these customers, changing their ways of production to offer more sustainable goods. This development can be considered progressive, also being part of the necessary solutions. But rightfully so, it is often pointed out how even these more sustainable products require an input of materials and energy, and only reused goods do not incur additional expenditure of resources in their production. Some consumer segments acknowledge this and are willing to act accordingly, fulfilling their needs of consumption through other ways, like buying secondhand clothing, or neglecting them altogether.
Although these critical thoughts on consumption have gained societal momentum, how many consumers are actually acting this way or at least consider doing so? When consuming new things is frowned upon, does this motivate reduced consumption or is it rather demotivating consumers to explore this behavior? And is it even an option – at least for the majority of people – to not consume at all?
Our postmodern age is among other things characterized by everybody’s search for identity. In previous times, communities have been the leading paradigms in society, but at some point we started trying to make it on our own and personal freedom became the objective. So nowadays, for many people this new much needed sense of belonging and self-actualization is at least partly achieved through consumption: Buying your favorite teams’ jersey makes you part of a fan base, buying tickets to the latest blockbuster enables you to engage in small talk at work, buying a Harley-Davidson makes you an adrenaline junkie. Most hobbies and many self-acclaimed personality traits are connected and dependent on consumption. And while the consciousness of environmental and ethical concerns and consequential consumption patterns are a lifestyle and a personal characteristic in themselves, this can’t be everybody’s identity.
You see, there’s a gap. We need to adjust our consumption patterns, for the planet’s and eventually our own sake. But for most people, heavily reduced consumption is not really an option when their personality is on the line. And as consuming more sustainably sourced products does not go as far as we need to, we need new models of consumption. New models that enable personal fulfillment, that motivate consumers by being convenient and fun as well, while still limiting our environmental impact.
This blog aspires to be the place where such models are presented and debated – partly from a consumer perspective but first and foremost from a societal and corporate perspective. As, after all considerations of individual consumption behavior, the suppliers of said consumption cannot be excluded from the equation. The market environment we live in demands a certain financial performance of companies that enables to serve consumers’ needs and to provide employment. So, what is Harley-Davidson supposed to do when consumption patterns shift towards acquiring supply for specific lifestyles or personality traits (like being an adrenaline junkie) in other ways? Is it possible for them to transform their business model? If they cannot participate in these changed modes of consumption, with all ESG efforts in mind, they will still be dependent on selling as many motorcycles as possible – may they be made from green steel or with electrified engines.
To offer different viewpoints of this topic, the blog will mainly introduce and sometimes scrutinize business models that promote these alternative modes of consumption. This will hopefully include many interviews with people that shape this change. And even the perspective of scholars from fields such as behavioral economics, marketing and management will find their way into the blog.
Next up, we will publish an interview with Jed Manguera, the co-founder of Sweden-based furniture rental start-up Cohabit.
Make sure to follow us on Instagram @recomm.review to keep up to date and please drop us a message if you have any feedback on our content!
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Brookings (2021). A long-term view of COVID-19’s impact on the rise of the global consumer class. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/a-long-term-view-of-covid-19s-impact-on-the-rise-of-the-global-consumer-class/
Recommerce Review. 
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