The project of “sustainable consumption” encompasses broader concerns about how individual well-being and quality of life have been superceded by the quest for sustained economic growth. In 1999, the current UK Labour government revised their sustainable development approach, conceptually placing “people at the centre” and arguing for holistic strategies, thereby suggesting some redress of the above concerns. In light of this conceptual shift, this article inquires about the current state of sustainable consumption policy and practice in the United Kingdom. Focusing on the ideological foundations underpinning Labour’s approach to sustainable consumption, it highlights how the individual “rational” consumer is ascribed with responsibility for creating sustainable consumption patterns. In this environment, Labour chooses to practice sustainability at “arm’s length,” doing little to challenge the profligate resource consumption that typifies the United Kingdom today.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment. (1998). Sustainable consumption: Stimulating the market. London: Author.
2.
Advisory Committee on Consumer Products and the Environment. (2002). Action for greener products: A tool-box for change. London: Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs.
3.
Bevir, M., & Rhodes, R. A. W. (2001). Decentering British governance: From bureaucracy to networks (Institute of Governmental Studies University of California, Berkeley Working Paper Series No. 2001-11). Berkeley, CA: University of California, Berkeley.
4.
Blair, A., Karsten, L., & Leopald, J. (2001). Britain and the working time regulations. Politics, 21(1), 40-46.
5.
Blair, T. (1997, June 23). Address to the United Nations Special Session on the Environment (UNGASS) (United Nations Earth Summit+5, New York). New York: United Nations.
6.
Brandon, G., & Lewis, A. (1999). Reducing household energy consumption: A qualitative and quantitative field study. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 19, 75-85.
7.
Burnham, P. (2001). New Labour and the politics of depoliticisation. British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 3(2), 127-149.
8.
Carter, N., & Lowe, P. (1998). Britain: coming to terms with sustainable development? In K. Hanf & A. I. Jansen (Eds.), Governance and environment in western Europe: Politics, policy and administration. Harlow, UK: Longman.
9.
Church Action on Poverty. (2002). Livingwage: What’s the problem? Manchester, UK: Author.
10.
Coates, D., & Hay, C. (2001). The internal and external face of new Labour’s political economy. Government and Opposition, 36(4), 447-471.
11.
Cobern, M. K., Porter, B. E., Leeming, F. C., & Dwyer, W. O. (1995). The effect of commitment on adoption and diffusion of grass recycling. Environment and Behaviour, 27(2), 213-232.
12.
The Co-Operative Bank. (2002). Ethical purchasing index 2002. Manchester, UK: Author.
13.
Cowe, R., & Williams, S. (2000). Who are the ethical consumers? Manchester, UK: Author.
14.
Demos. (2002). Inconvenience food: The struggle to eat well on a low income. London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.
15.
Department of the Environment. (1994). Sustainable development: The UK strategy. London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.
16.
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs. (2000). Choosing green -Towards more sustainable goods and services. London: Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, Advisory Committee on Consumer Products and the Environment.
17.
Department of Environment, Transport, and the Regions. (1998). Consumer products and the environment. London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.
18.
Department of Environment, Transport, and the Regions. (2000). Green claims code. London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.
19.
Department for Environment, Transport, and the Regions, Scottish Executive, The National Assembly of Wales and Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland. (2000). Climate change: The UK programme. London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Available from www.sd-commission.gov.uk/commission/index.htm
20.
Department of Trade and Industry. (1999). Modern markets: Confident consumers. London: Author.
21.
Department of Trade and Industry. (2002). Department of trade and industry work-life balance. London: Author. Available from www.dti.gov.uk/work-lifebalance/
22.
Doane, D. (2001). Taking flight: The rapid growth of ethical consumerism (New Economics Foundation report for the Co-Operative Bank). London: New Economics Foundation.
23.
Fort, M. (2001, March 4). Sacrifices on the altar of cheap food. Observer, n.p.
Gibbs, D. (2000). Ecological modernisation, regional economic development and regional development agencies. Geoforum, 31(1), 9-19.
26.
Gibson, K., & Cameron, J. (2001). Transforming communities: Towards a research agenda. Urban Policy and Research, 19(1), 7-24.
27.
Giddens, A. (1998). The third way: The renewal of social democracy. Cambridge, UK: Polity.
28.
Giddens, A. (Ed.). (2001). The global third way debate. Cambridge, UK: Polity.
29.
Gouldson, A., & Murphy, J. (1998). Regulatory realities: The implementation and impact of industrial environmental regulation. London: Earthscan.
30.
Haigh, N., & Lanigan, C. (1995). Impact of the European Union on UK environmental policy making. In T. S. Gray (Ed.), UK environmental policy in the 1990s (n.p.). Basingstoke, UK: Macmillan.
31.
Hobson, K. (2001a). Sustainable lifestyles: Rethinking barriers and behaviour change. In M. J. Cohen & J. Murphy (Eds.), Exploring sustainable consumption: Environmental policy and the social sciences (pp. 191-209). Oxford, UK: Pergamon.
32.
Hobson, K. (2001b). Talking habits into action: An investigation into Global Action Plan’s “Action at Home”programme. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of London.
33.
Hobson, K. (2002). Competing discourses of sustainable consumption: Does the “rationalisation of lifestyles” make sense? Environmental Politics, 11(2), 95-120.
34.
Hobson, K. (2003, June 12-14). Sustainable consumption and UK policy cultures: A case of depoliticisation? Paper presented at the 6th Nordic Conference on Environmental Social Sciences (NESS), Turku/Åbo, Finland.
35.
Jacobs, M. (1997). The quality of life: Social goods and the politics of consumption. In M. Jacobs (Ed.), Greening the millenium?: The new politics of the environment (n.p.). Oxford, UK: Blackwell.
36.
Jordan, A., & O’Riordan, T. (2000). The social implications of consumption. In B. Heap & J. Kent (Eds.), Towards sustainable consumption: A European perspective (pp. 93-100). London: The Royal Society.
37.
Jordan, A., Wurzel, R. K. W., & Zito, A. R. (2003). “New” instruments of environmental governance: Patterns and pathways of change. Environmental Politics, 21(1), 3-24.
38.
Levett, R. (2003). A better choice of choice. London: Fabian Society.
39.
Macnaghten, P., & Jacobs, M. (1997). Public identification with sustainable development: Investigating public barriers to participation. Global Environmental Change, 7(1), 5-24.
Monbiot, G. (2000). Captive state: The corporate take-over of Britain. Basingstoke, UK: Macmillan.
42.
Office for National Statistics. (2000). Social trends pocketbook. London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.
43.
Park, A., Curtice, J., Thomson, K., Jarvis, L., & Bromley, C. (Eds.). (2002). British social attitudes: Public policy, social ties. The 18th report: 2001-02 edition. London: Sage.
44.
Rayner, M. (2002, April/May). Product, price or principle? Ethical Consumer Magazine, 76, 32-33.
45.
Sanne, C. (2002). Willing consumer-or locked in? Policies for sustainable consumption. Ecological Economics, 42, 273-287.
46.
Schor, J. (1993). The overworked American: The unexpected decline of leisure. New York: Basic Books.
47.
Schor, J. (1998) The overspent American: Upscaling, downshifting, and the new consumer. New York: Basic Books.
48.
Schrader, B. (2002). Greenhouse gas emission policies in the UK and Germany: Influences and responses. European Environment, 12, 173-184.
49.
Seik, F. T. (2001). Editorial: Quality of life in cities. Cities, 18(1), 1-2.
50.
Shuman, M. H. (2000). Going local: Creating self-reliant communities in a global age. New York: Free Press.
51.
Smith, J., Blake, J., & Davies, A. (2000). Putting sustainability in place: Sustainable communities projects in Huntingdonshire. Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning, 2(3), 211-223.
52.
UK Government. (1990). This common inheritance: Britain’s environmental strategy. London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.
53.
UK Government. (1999). A better quality of life: A strategy for sustainable development for the UK. London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. (1992). Agenda 21 and the UNCED proceedings. New York: Oceana Publications.
56.
Vogel, D. (1986). National styles of regulation. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
57.
Walker, A., Maher, J., Coulthard, M., Goddard, E., & Thomas, M. (2001). Living in Britain: Results from the 2000/01 General Household Survey. London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.
Weale, A., Pridham, G., Cini, M., Konstadakopulos, D., Porter, M., & Flynn, B. (2000). Environmental governance in Europe: An ever closer ecological union? Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
60.
Williams, C. C., & Windebank, J. (2002). The “excluded consumer”: A neglected aspect of social exclusion? Policy and Politics, 30(4), 501-513.
