Dispelling the Myth: Making the Case for Ambitious Sustainable Consumption Policies

Strong sustainable consumption policies threaten our freedom and well-being. They will never be accepted.”

This is the story we have been told. But is it true? What if, instead of restricting us, strong sustainable consumption could actually create a better, fairer world for everyone?

Right now, weak sustainable consumption policies focus primarily on efficiency and technology. In doing so, they ignore the deeper issue: we need to reduce overall resource use to ensure a good life for all within planetary boundaries. Freedom is not about endless consumption – it is about protecting fair opportunities for everyone.

So, how can this myth be debunked and real change brought about? We explored this question in a chapter written for the anthology “Dispelled: Myths about Sustainable Consumption” (forthcoming), edited by Oksana Mont of Lund University. Summing up the central arguments, in this blog post, we argue that strong sustainable consumption policies are indispensable for protecting freedom as well as enabling a good life for all.

Origins 

Why is it so hard to move toward real sustainable consumption?

The answer lies in power.

Our economy is built on growth – endless expansion, more production, more consumption. And the actors who benefit most – big businesses and corporate investors – hold the power. They shape policies, control narratives, and convince us that buying more equals well-being. This results in weak sustainable consumption policies that do not address the overall volume of consumption. Meanwhile, real change is dismissed as impossible.

But there is more: consumption is not just an economic activity but also a social practice. People use luxury items to signal status. Social scientists call this conspicuous consumption. Others buy to cope with stress and unsatisfactory living conditions – compensatory consumption. Limiting consumption challenges not just corporate actors and investors, but deeply ingrained ideas of freedom and well-being.

The result is the powerful myth that strong sustainable consumption policies threaten our way of life. So, how does this myth impact the pursuit of sustainability?

Consequences 

The idea of sustainability is omnipresent – it is on packaging, in policy speeches, and even in advertisements for the latest electric SUVs. But despite appearances, real progress remains elusive.

Weak sustainability policies – focused on efficiency rather than systemic change – perpetuate the status quo. This is why global resource consumption keeps rising, even as we recycle more. This is why food corporations make billions, while farm workers struggle with food insecurity. And this is why governments talk about sustainability but avoid policies that could really challenge corporate power and unsustainable practices.

For most businesses, sustainability has become a marketing tool, not a responsibility. Meanwhile, responsibility shifts to individual consumers, who are encouraged to make “better” consumption choices. They are thus expected to take responsibility for ecological crises over which they have very limited influence. Deep-rooted inequalities persist.

The outcome is a world where sustainability efforts paradoxically sustain unsustainability. Real well-being is pushed further out of reach, all while the myth persists that strong sustainable consumption policies would diminish quality of life. But is that really true? Or is it just a story designed to keep things exactly as they are?

Dispelling the myth

The belief that strong sustainable consumption policies would diminish quality of life and freedom and would therefore be widely rejected is deeply ingrained. However, this idea is shaped by the very system that produces it – one that prioritises economic growth over human needs. A closer look reveals that well-designed policies can actually enhance well-being while ensuring ecological sustainability.

First, when it comes to quality of life, what matters most is meeting our basic, universal needs – like food, health, community, and security. These needs are constant across cultures and social strata; they are the foundation of every human life. Barcelona’s Sustainable Food initiative provides an example for a strong sustainable consumption policy that is based on this insight. It provides subsidised, plant-based meals in public institutions, and thereby reduces environmental impact and promotes health. This kind of policy does not harm societal well-being; it supports it by ensuring access to healthy, sustainable food for all. It is proof that sustainable policies can meet universal human needs while reducing ecological harm.

Second, freedom is about more than having endless choices and not being interfered with. In the dominant narrative, freedom is often equated with the ability to buy whatever you want, whenever you want. However, this is a highly limited and weak understanding of freedom. Freedom, as a basic right, is not about unrestrained consumption, it is about agency – the capacity to act in ways that reflect your values and contribute to the common good. This perspective challenges the myth that strong sustainable consumption policies threaten individual freedom. In fact, active engagement in initiatives to promote sustainability – such as local greening projects, community-supported agriculture, or participatory citizen assemblies – embodies agency-freedom. By participating in such initiatives, we can exercise our personal freedom to shape society and further the common good through democratic participation.

Third, sustainable welfare actually improves quality of life. Welfare systems today depend on persistent economic growth and encourage high consumption. But this model harms the environment and creates inequality. In contrast, by focusing on satisfying needs sustainable welfare policies – like universal basic services for health, education and transport – can provide everyone with what they need without overly harming the planet. Take public transport: when it is reliable and free or at least affordable, people use it more, reducing reliance on cars. This kind of eco-social welfare improves quality of life while decreasing emissions.

Fourth, addressing specific barriers can make these policies more acceptable. People often oppose strong sustainable consumption policies due to concerns about costs, convenience, and cultural norms. But if these concerns are tackled – by making sustainable options affordable, convenient, and accessible, and also through education campaigns – acceptance grows. For instance, if plant-based meals were made universally affordable and the train more convenient than the plane, people would be more likely to embrace these changes.

Lastly, effective societal deliberation is necessary for real change. Strong sustainable consumption policies challenge entrenched power structures and deeply held beliefs. They are bound to cause controversy and conflict, but this is exactly what we need to imagine better futures and to bring about transformative change. Too narrow an orientation towards consensus conceals existing conflicts and suppress marginalised ideas, interests, or identities. To overcome deep-seated barriers to transformation in a fair and lasting way, we need open, inclusive, and active conversations that deal with disagreement in constructive ways. By supporting practices like social movements and controversial public debates we create the kind of pressure needed to shift our systems toward sustainability. Only the combination of different democratic practices can enable a change that prioritises societal well-being over economic growth.

In short, rather than threatening well-being, strong sustainable consumption policies can create healthier, fairer, and more liveable societies, prioritising our collective well-being over limitless growth – if we design them thoughtfully and engage in the necessary discussions to implement them.

Solutions 

The good news is: change is already happening, and we have clear strategies to build on. To make strong sustainable consumption policies a reality, we must focus on three key approaches:

First, embracing shared responsibility: policymakers, businesses, and individuals must all play their part, with those in power leading the way. A starting point for this lies in critically scrutinising any narrative that puts all responsibility on individual consumers – a narrative that should be dispelled once and for all. Looking forward, we must embrace a more holistic, interconnected understanding of responsibility that fosters transformative change through multi-level collaboration and recognises current power imbalances. European cities are already experimenting with participatory climate budgeting, showing that collective responsibility is achievable. 

Second, deeply integrating social justice with ecological sustainability. Far too often, social and environmental policies have been regarded as separate, even conflicting sectors. Initiatives like the Wellbeing Economy Governments partnership demonstrate that policies addressing both ecological and social concerns are not only possible but necessary for long-term well-being. Stakeholders engaged in promoting sustainability and sustainable consumption must critically examine narratives that isolate ecological and social dimensions. In many cases, the two are deeply interconnected — and when they are not, the concept at hand should be re-evaluated through a more holistic lens.

Third, scaling up local innovation. While strong sustainable consumption policies clearly demands a responsible democratic state that addresses barriers to transformation, prioritises societal well-being over economic growth, and creates structures that enable sustainable consumption and provisioning, change unfolds at all levels. From reduced working hours in Sweden to cycling infrastructure in Paris, local experiments show how small changes can drive larger transformation, paving the way for systemic change. While they are not without contradictions, these models illustrate that prioritising collective well-being through policy design is not utopian but achievable. Social change comes from all directions. 

By drawing attention to these real-world examples, we underscore that implementing strong sustainable consumption polices is not just a theoretical aspiration but a tangible, evolving process. While challenges remain, emerging practices show that transformation is already underway and can be expanded, adapted, and institutionalised.

This blog post is based on the chapter “Strong Sustainable Consumption Policies”, written by Lea Melissa Becker, Paula Berendt, and Doris Fuchs for the anthology “Dispelled: Myths about Sustainable Consumption”, edited by Oksana Mont and due to be published by Routledge in 2026. The book will be accompanied by a Massive Open Online Course, launching in November 2025, that will also cover this chapter.