Household consumption patterns in OECD countries: trends and figures

摘要

The analysis from the OECD Work Programme on Sustainable Consumption outlined in this article demonstrates the link between day-to-day household decisions and environmental impacts. This analysis was supported by the results of the Environmental Outlook (OECD, 2001), which identified waste generation and personal travel as critical areas where environmental impacts are expected to increase, followed by energy use and waste recycling, for which projections are more moderate. The discussion of consumer decision-making and specific drivers of household consumption suggests a broad web of influences on consumer choice, including for environmentally friendly purchases and behaviour. There are many different ways of explaining consumer demand. While the accuracy of projections of future demand trends are by definition conditional on how patterns actually unfold, marketing and sociological analyses appear to point strongly to the importance of several key driving factors behind consumption, including, for example, economic growth and growing per capita disposable income, lifestyle and cultural tastes for diversity and spontaneity, demographic trends toward more single-person households, and longer and healthier lifetimes. Combined with other influences on consumption patterns, such as existing technology and infrastructure, the policy framework in place, and available products, services and information, these driving factors help determine the environmental intensity of consumption patterns.