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general limitation, the degree of needs fulfilment for the ‘softer’ needs, such as
identity, participation, and so on, will much depend on the individual, and will likely
escape a general agreement when trying to quantify a specific product’s fulfilment
of such needs.
Combining the net environmental impact of the analysed product IMP net,P that we
have proposed above with a quantitative happiness-utility indicator of the analysed
product HU P (that we do not further work out here), we obtain a measure for the
environmental intensity of needs fulfilment (aka of the product’s happiness-utility)
HUI P . Note that this one is yet excluding yet other social and socio-economic secondary consequences other than those captured by the creation of qualified work
and income in the supply-chain (Eq. 13.4):
HUI
IMP
HU
P
net P
P
=
,
(13.4)
In contrast to the average consumer, to which we refer with this formula, for any
specific consumer any specific consumption decision will of course look at activities and products that enable these that best meet that consumer’s currently least
well fulfilled needs. The indicator would still be the same, but the consumer would
only consider those products that contribute to fulfilling his/her specific, most pressing current needs.
Finally, it needs to be highlighted that an over-fulfilment of some of our needs is
leading to physical and mental health issues, be it overweight, dependence on alcohol, nicotine and other drugs (including on medication, gaming). Also information
overload and the limited ability to keep abreast with new technologies can be understood to potentially counteract needs fulfilment and happiness.
Hence, maximizing needs fulfilment in the sense of summing up the happinessutility results has limits for some of the needs. Also the linearity and the balance
across the needs should be observed when looking at the overall needs fulfilment of
a person.
Further work is needed here.
3 Sustainable Consumption on Different Levels
3.1 Product Level: From Functional Unit to Needs Fulfilment
Comparative product LCA studies analyse the life cycle wide impact products per
functional unit of each product; i.e. in relation to “which function(s)” each product
provides, “how much” of the function, “how well” and for “how long”. This basis
serves to compare alternative products.
In a consumption perspective, and particularly for consumer products, it makes
sense to expand this functional unit also to the human needs fulfilment: The direct
13 From Sustainable Production to Sustainable Consumption
general limitation, the degree of needs fulfilment for the ‘softer’ needs, such as
identity, participation, and so on, will much depend on the individual, and will likely
escape a general agreement when trying to quantify a specific product’s fulfilment
of such needs.
Combining the net environmental impact of the analysed product IMP net,P that we
have proposed above with a quantitative happiness-utility indicator of the analysed
product HU P (that we do not further work out here), we obtain a measure for the
environmental intensity of needs fulfilment (aka of the product’s happiness-utility)
HUI P . Note that this one is yet excluding yet other social and socio-economic secondary consequences other than those captured by the creation of qualified work
and income in the supply-chain (Eq. 13.4):
HUI
IMP
HU
P
net P
P
=
,
(13.4)
In contrast to the average consumer, to which we refer with this formula, for any
specific consumer any specific consumption decision will of course look at activities and products that enable these that best meet that consumer’s currently least
well fulfilled needs. The indicator would still be the same, but the consumer would
only consider those products that contribute to fulfilling his/her specific, most pressing current needs.
Finally, it needs to be highlighted that an over-fulfilment of some of our needs is
leading to physical and mental health issues, be it overweight, dependence on alcohol, nicotine and other drugs (including on medication, gaming). Also information
overload and the limited ability to keep abreast with new technologies can be understood to potentially counteract needs fulfilment and happiness.
Hence, maximizing needs fulfilment in the sense of summing up the happinessutility results has limits for some of the needs. Also the linearity and the balance
across the needs should be observed when looking at the overall needs fulfilment of
a person.
Further work is needed here.
3 Sustainable Consumption on Different Levels
3.1 Product Level: From Functional Unit to Needs Fulfilment
Comparative product LCA studies analyse the life cycle wide impact products per
functional unit of each product; i.e. in relation to “which function(s)” each product
provides, “how much” of the function, “how well” and for “how long”. This basis
serves to compare alternative products.
In a consumption perspective, and particularly for consumer products, it makes
sense to expand this functional unit also to the human needs fulfilment: The direct
13 From Sustainable Production to Sustainable Consumption