Sustainable consumption within the planet’s limits

The way we consume has a major impact on the climate, the environment, and the use of natural resources. Sustainable consumption is about reducing resource use, promoting circular solutions, and creating the conditions for sustainable lifestyles and good lives within the planet’s limits.

The transition to sustainable consumption requires new ways of designing, procuring, distributing, as well as using and sharing goods and services. It involves reducing overconsumption, choosing sustainable alternatives, extending the lifespan of products, and increasing reuse and sharing. At the same time, we need to develop future scenarios that show how people and businesses can live and operate within the planet’s boundaries.

For sustainable consumption to become the norm, changes are needed at multiple levels of society. New business models, policy instruments, and solutions need to be developed and scaled up to make sustainable choices easier and more attractive.

IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute supports companies, municipalities, government agencies, and other stakeholders in this transition and scaling up through independent, science-based decision-making support, process support, innovation, and test beds. Taking a systems perspective and working in close collaboration with societal stakeholders, we develop knowledge and solutions for more sustainable consumption.