[Séminaire Caen] On the Meaning and Historical Roots of the Concept of Sustainable Consumption

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Abstract: The concept of sustainable consumption has become widespread in the literature, especially in ecological economics. However, it has also been perceived as lacking robustness or posing as a Trojan horse for greenwashing. This article proposes a redefinition of sustainable consumption based on three dimensions: individual health and wellbeing, social cohesion, and ecological integrity. Based on an inquiry into the history of economic thought, it shows that the application of these dimensions to the question of consumption has deep historical roots. It concludes that sustainable consumption can neither conceptually nor historically be limited to ecological considerations, but necessarily includes psychological, social, political, and even cultural and moral arguments. This multidimensionality can make the concept heuristically useful in ecological economics.