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Seminar on

Green Consumerism at

IIPA , New Delhi

(19 June, 2012)

A Seminar on Green Consumerism was organized by the Centre for

Consumer Studies at Indian Institute of Public Administration, on 19 June,

2012 at IIPA, New Delhi. The Department of Consumer Affairs, GoI sponsored

the Seminar. 40 delegates attended the seminar which included

academicians, members of NGOs and students. The Seminar was an attempt

to discuss the need to promote green Consumerism and also evolve

strategies for sustainable consumption. The main objective of the Seminar

was to discuss and deliberate on various issues related to nuances in Green

Consumption leading to sustainable development. Consumer behavior is one

of the major contributors to the earth’s environmental problems, since the

goods and services purchased every day in the developed world can be linked

directly to chemical pollution, waste production and habitat destruction. The

objectives of the seminar aimed to understand the impact of unsustainable

consumption on environment and natural resources, comprehension and

appreciation of the concept of green consumerism, understanding the

attitudes driving and inhibiting the ethical consumerism, improving marketing

by making intelligent and environment friendly choices about products and

services.

The Seminar commenced with a

Welcome Address by Dr. Shyamli

Singh, Assistant Professor, IIPA. She

welcomed the guest of honour Prof. C.

K Varshney, Former Dean and

Professor of Ecology, School of

Environmental Studies, Jawaharlal

Nehru University, New Delhi, who had Welcome Address by Dr. Shyamli Singh,

Asstt Professor, IIPA

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kindly consented to inaugurate the seminar and the distinguished dignitaries

and delegates. She highlighted the aim, objectives and activities undertaken

by the Centre for Consumer Studies.

Dr. Sapna Chadah, Assistant

Professor, IIPA briefed the

participants about the seminar. She

stated that economic growth has lifted

billions of people out of poverty and

has raised the income levels of

millions more, but the growth too often

comes at the expense of the

environment. Green Consumerism

has customarily been conceptualised as a personal ethical orientation. Today

the gap between what we need to do, to arrest the environmental deterioration

of the planet and what we are doing continues to widen. In such a scenario

sustained growth is necessary to achieve the urgent development needs of

the world’s poor and there is substantial scope for growing cleaner without

growing slower. Green growth is necessary, efficient, and affordable. The

main feature of lifestyle strategy in general, and green consumerism in

particular, is that it focuses on what the individual could do to protect the

environment. The consumer should switch over to products that are

biodegradable, durable and recyclable, in accord with the ‘green’ consumption

principles of reduction, reuse, and recycle.

Prof. C.K Varshney, Former

Dean, School of Environmental

Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru

University in his Inaugural Address

emphasised that green economy

and green consumerism are nothing

but a subset of the green economy.

Dr. Sapna Chadah, Asstt. Professor, IIPA briefing about the seminar

Prof. C.K Varshney, Former Dean, School of Environmental Studies, JNU delivering

the Inaugural Address

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The evolution of green consumerism has two vital reasons- the actions on the

part of all the stakeholders including the consumers are affecting the

environment adversely but these have not been able to persuade the

government to take action. Governments, both of developed as well as

developing countries are slow to act and the issues which were identified and

debated over way back in 1974 are still the same, though their intensity has

grown. Now it is for the consumers to take stalk of the situation and impose

appropriate control on their buying and using behaviour. He highlighted the

way in which the consumers can adopt green consumerism as their way of

life. He said that green consumerism is the situation in which consumers want

to buy things that have a life cycle which have minimum adverse effect on the

environment and in a way protects the natural environment.

Green Lifestyle is all about reduction, reuse, and recycle. Habits like

reusing and recycling product, walking, bicycle riding, using public transport,

keeping thermostats low, and not-a-lot-of-meat eating that are part of life in

many developing countries as a matter of economic necessity, if adopted

world over can definitely contribute a lot to the environment protection. He

listed that according to India Data Monitor’s latest survey titled 'Green

Consumers in India’ the Indian consumer is increasingly getting conscious

about using environment friendly products. According to the survey, making

green choices is a high priority for around 60 percent of Indian consumers.

And 95 percent of consumers who make green choices claim to do so to

protect the environment. The number of consumers willing to switch to using

green products and services is increasing and will continue to increase over

the coming years. He quoted certain examples from day to day life to bring

more meaning to all the statistics. Some of the examples quoted by him were

use of CFL–Energy Efficient Bulb, Star rating consumer durables, eco-labelled

products etc. The demand for energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps or

CFLs has grown 40-50% over the past three years. It has been seen in the

past years that the technology has now shifted to LED Bulbs. The major

benefits of the LED lighting are they are long-lasting as have a life up to 10

times more than the usual bulb, cost effective, durable, mercury free.

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He however, said that for the consumer to adopt green consumerism

information must be provided to him and awareness must be generated about

green products. Then it should be left to his ethics to guide him what to buy

and what not. Green consumerism has great power and it is with those who

are using the product. We have to choose products which are environmentally

benign and do not interfere with the services you want to use. However, the

problem is that the consumer should be ready to shell out some more which

the consumer will be more than happy to pay in light of benefits for the

environment and family.

The seminar was divided into three technical sessions on Impact of

Unsustainable Consumerism on Environmental Resources; Green Marketing-

A Fillip to Green Consumerism; and Brand Green: Mainstream or Myth.

In the Technical Session I on

“Impact of Unsustainable

Consumerism on Environmental

Resources” there were presentations

by Dr. Prem Dureja, Consultant

TERI and Mr. Pravin Malick,

Environment Manager for South Asia

Markets at Tetra Pak. Dr. Dureja laid

stress on Impact of Unsustainable

Participants of the Seminar

Dr. Prem Dureja, Consultant TERI speaking on “Impact of Unsustainable Consumerism on

Environmental Resources”

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Consumerism on Environmental Resources. She through her presentation laid

emphasis that we can tread on the path towards sustainability keeping

posterity in mind only if we conserve our resources and use them judiciously.

She said that consumption is increasing dramatically; consumerism has

become social and economic desire as the people who have more money

have more desire to consume. Unsustainable consumption is a situation

where resource-use has outpaced the sustainable capacity of the ecosystem.

At present, the rate of consumption is increasing at an alarming rate, that is,

today people often wish to increase their buying and spending power and buy

more products so they can keep pace with others. Because of this huge,

continuously increasing consumer demand, the planet itself has been out of

balance for many years, and this imbalance is now showing itself in form of

climate change. Climate change and its resulting effect will continue to worsen

and is the first sign of what is expected to become an environmental

disaster around the year 2025. If we continue with the present speed of

consumption four earths will be required by 2100. The excessive demand for

consumer products has created most of the current environmental imbalances

and these imbalances have already caused ecological disaster in different

places all over the world. Our consumption of food can also effect the

environment because of the amount of land needed to produce food and the

water required to farm livestock and crops. She also highlighted some of the

adverse environmental impacts of unsustainable consumption and problems

arising because of that. She concluded by saying that pollution is a serious

problem today due to the huge consumer demand. Environmental degradation

and pollution are the two main effects of consumerism on the environment.

Our high rate of consumption and the rapid growth in production of goods and

materialism is resulting in environmental devastation. It is important that the

planet’s worsening environmental crisis is taken seriously and action is taken

to make adequate changes and special attention should be paid to the

demand for natural resources generated by unsustainable consumption and

making the required lifestyle change to reduce the global pollution.

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The next presentation was by Mr. Pravin Malick, Environment Manager

for South Asia markets at Tetra Pak. He laid stress on the association of the

NGOs and corporate in the areas of corporate social responsibility and

business sustainability. He through the interactive session with the

participants focused on the initiatives of Tetra Pak. He also screened a short

movie emphasizing on the recycling mission taken up by Tetra Pak in

collaboration with TERI. It was based on a project called Sphere, being

undertaken by Tetra Pak and TERI, wherein sensitization activities are being

undertaken in all major schools by creating collection centers and actual

recycling centers.

Mr. Malick said that there is

drastic difference between the

level of consumption between the

developed and developing

countries. Plastic is a great

product. Complete ban and no

use of the plastic are not possible

but unabated growth in its usage

has to be controlled. There has to

balance in the use of plastic and

sustainability has to be brought in. Tetra Pak takes a life cycle approach-

develop sustainable products, reduce environmental footprint across the value

chain; and increase recycling. At Tetra Pak 3½ million packages were sold

last year in India. The aim is to become 100% renewable by 2020 and also

decreasing the carbon foot prints by 40%. By weight 75% of the carton is

made of paper. Balance 20% is polyethylene which is recyclable, 5% is

aluminium which is also recyclable. Further new designs are being introduced

which to further enhance the recyclability of the product. Tetra Pak is also

trying to converting process and factory design to less energy consumption

and waste producing model to reduce impact. In 2011 green plastic was

launched made of sugarcane/ molasses for customer in Brazil. Tetra Pak is

founder member of FAC. The end part of the life cycle is recycling. The

Mr. Pravin Malick, Environment Manager for South Asia Markets at Tetra Pak making his

presentation

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government is also putting a lot of pressure under the Plastic Waste Rules,

2011. In India recycling rate was 14 percent whereas target was 12%. He

highlighted the steps taken by the company in recycling of the products. He

also highlighted the initiatives taken by the company in environment

education. He said that Tetra Pak in partnership with TERI is reaching out to

170,000 students in 170 schools across 7 cities and sensitizing them to ‘act’.

They are also involving the rag-pickers, NGOs and the civil society

organisation in their initiatives.

In Technical Session II on “Green Marketing- A Fillip to Green

Consumerism” there were two presentations wherein some of the challenges

faced by green consumerism and measures to deal with same were

discussed.

Dr. Anil Kumar Director,

Department of Environment,

Government of NCT of Delhi

spelled out the initiatives taken by

Delhi Government to give impetus

to sustainable consumption. He

spoke about the whole hearted

efforts taken up by Delhi

government. He stated that Delhi is

a green capital and the state is

ready to take a plunge into any sort

of adversity and challenges caused to environment. He elaborated on the

eight different areas where the Delhi government is laying stress to make

Delhi a cleaner, greener and a better place to live. He highlighted some of the

initiatives of Delhi government in this direction.

He highlighted some of the challenges faced by green consumerism

that include: the Green products require renewable and recyclable material

which is costly; requires a technology which requires huge investment in R

&D; majority of the people are not aware of green products and their uses;

Dr. Anil Kumar Director, Department of Environment, Govt. of NCT of Delhi sharing

initiatives taken by Delhi Government towards sustainable consumption

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and most of them are not willing to pay a premium for green products. Some

of the successful examples of green marketing pointed by him included Digital

Tickets by Indian Railways; ban on polythene carry bags for free; Green IT

Project by State Bank of India; launch of environment friendly computer

peripherals and Lead Free Paints from Kansai Nerolac etc. He said at present

for a city like Delhi there is need for strategy which focuses on five priority

areas: Water Resource Management, Smart Low Carbon City, Low Carbon

Power Generation, Forests and Biomass, and Solid Waste Treatment.

Delhi Government has been promoting Green Consumerism through

Chief Minister’s Bhagidari Scheme and various other schemes like public

environmental awareness and Eco- Club in schools and collages of

Department of Environment, Govt. of NCT of Delhi. Under these schemes

Delhi government is having a network with RWAS involved in environment

protection. Government is creating awareness among the citizen of Delhi to

celebrate major festival such as Holi and Diwali in an eco-friendly manner. It is

also encouraging them to use Energy Star appliances that consume less

power, buying hybrid cars that emit less carbon dioxide, using solar and wind

power to generate electricity and buying locally grown vegetables and fruits.

Delhi is the first city in the world to become CNG transport. More than 15 year

old commercial vehicles are not allowed. Air ambience fund has been created

by levying a fee on the sale of diesel at the rate of Rs. 0.25 per litre which is

used for various environment friendly activities. To have a check Ambience Air

Quality Monitoring Stations have been established by DPCC. Diesel up to 50

PPM (ultra low sulphur diesel) has been made available in the City from April

2010.Thyagraja stadium is green stadium built on green building technologies.

Stadium has been constructed as per the green building concept with eco-

friendly materials. CFL has been made mandatory in government building and

now shifting to LED. Solar water heaters are being installed on buildings

which will help in energy preservation in the long run. He highlighted many

such steps taken by the government to promote sustainable consumption by

all stakeholders.

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Prof. C. R. Jagga, HoD and

Deputy Director at Bhagwan

Parshuram Institute of Technology

emphasized that globalization has

led to restricting the world. It goes

hand in hand with idea of

consumption. Consumer behavior is

one of the major contributors to the

earth’s environmental problems,

since the goods and services

purchased every day in the developed world can be linked directly to chemical

pollution, waste production and habitat destruction. Is there a way that

consumers can help the planet rather than hurt it? Green consumerism might

be a wave of future, but it will take an active and environmentally aware public

to drive change.

In about last 100 years we have generated enough carbon foot prints

leading to pollution, greenhouse gases and global warming resulting in climate

change. Without consumers there would be no business- nothing will be sold

in the world and thus nothing produced. However, overconsumption or

Consumerism causes the wasteful use of energy and material far above and

beyond that needed for everyday living at a comfortable level. Further

Happiness can't be purchased in the marketplace, no matter how much

advertising tries to convince you of it. Today’s consumption is undermining the

environmental resource base. The dynamics of the consumption-poverty-

inequality-environment nexus are accelerating. The real issue is not

consumption itself but its patterns and effects. To get away from this trap of

consumerism it is necessary to have fewer things means enjoying what you

have more and actually getting to use it, thereby raising its intrinsic value. It is

necessary that the consumers must inform themselves about major

environmental problems and then, by being cross-informed through product

labelling, they should only select environmentally benign products and green

life-styles to match their new consumption tastes. The consumer needs to ask

Prof. C. R. Jagga, HoD and Deputy Director at Bhagwan Parshuram Institute of Technology

making his presentation

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certain questions that occupy the minds to be ethical consumers in the 21st

century.

In the last technical session

on Brand Green: Mainstream or

Myth Mr. Rajan Gandhi, CEO,

Society in Action Group, speaking

on “Green Branding – Sense or

Nonsense” said that Green

consumerism has customarily been

conceptualized as a personal

ethical orientation or as a set of

pro-environmental personal values

and attitudes that inform a

particular form of socially conscious or socially responsible decision-making.

The branding is introduced when there are multiple products from single

producer which have different “Character” and are meant to Appeal to

different segments of consumers. There is pricing differential and competitive

threats among different brands. Besides price, advertising/publicity, peer

pressure, producer’s reputation, etc. it is the brand image that affects the

decision making by a consumer. Green can be one of the reasons for

branding but it cannot be the sole criteria. When we talk about green branding

or environment friendly products, it is rare to find purely “Green” brand. The

“Green” is ill-defined and confusing and often based on self-assessment.

What exactly is meant by green? In claiming a product mostly the claimant is

judge as well. You have to assess a product to be green from cradle to grave

cycle – and to go further its design is also to be looked into. Green could be

contact specific –relating to geography and climate.

You cannot decide on your gut feeling whether the product is green or

not. A number of certification regarding green products based on third party

verification like Eco-labelling, Indian Eco-mark have not brought the desired

results. It is not true that green products are always more costly though

Mr. Rajan Gandhi, CEO, Society in Action Group, speaking on “Green Branding – Sense

or Nonsense”

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sometimes it may be true. Indian consumer is not always too sensitive

towards prices. If you make him internalize the cost, he is ready to buy green

products. That’s why the BEE labeling has been extremely successful as it is

heavily publicized, there are direct financial benefit and it has been made

mandatory for certain products.

He emphasized that for mainstreaming of the green products is

required. Green brands at present are a myth but they can be true. For that it

is necessary to educate the consumers, incentivize them, and choice editing

on ground of immediate or long term damage to the environment. As regards

the education is concerned it has to start by educating the young – inculcate

habit of ‘sustainable consumption’ in them. All the ministries are having money

which can be used to advertise and personalise green products. This green

consumption has to start at governmental level; so begin with public

procurement of green products instead of talking about merits.

Prof. Prodyut Bhattacharya

Dean, University School of

Environment Management, Guru

Gobind Singh Indraprastha

University, New Delhi speaking on

“Certification as a Market Tool”

emphasized on the sustainable

usage and consumption of natural

resources. He laid stress on

sustainable use by citing the

example of the people in north eastern region who manage their own natural

resources judiciously, and contribute in making Earth a habitable place to live.

He said that Green movement is a Western concept but Gandhian low

carbon lifestyle is an old concept which is still relevant for the world. The

demand of MAP is growing in national and international market.

Unsustainable collection of MAPs from wild areas causes serious depletion of

Prof. Prodyut Bhattacharya Dean, University School of Environment Management at GGSIPU

speaking on “Certification as a Market Tool”

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resources which ultimately affects the livelihood of forest based communities.

There is need to develop national level standards for wild collection of

medicinal plants as well as certification of the collected plant materials. The

market needs 3T as regards green products – technology, trust &

transparency. We need to ensure protection of critical ecosystems security as

well as sustaining the survival and livelihoods of those directly dependent on

biodiversity and bio-resources.

He talked about Forest Product Certification. He said that if the

products are to be environment friendly then we have to do a lot of work.

Certification is envisaged as a market-driven mechanism that promotes

sustainable forest management in three main ways- by establishing standards

for forest practices and management that guarantee a certain level of

management performance; by enhancing market opportunities for products

from sustainably managed forests; and by promoting public education about

improved forest management, for both producers and consumers. The

certification will lead to development of national standards for sustainable

collection and management of selected NTFPs and create awareness among

gatherers, foresters and other stakeholders about NTFP certification and its

implication on sustainable management of wild NTFPs.

Prof. V.K Sharma, Professor

of Disaster Management, IIPA in his

Valedictory Address laid stress on

the need of adopting sustainable

consumption and lifestyle by all. He

said that efforts are needed by one

and all to be a responsible and

ethical consumer. Today when we

have facing all sort of disasters and

calamities around the world, we

have started talking about climate

change and human impact on environment. To bring sustainability in resource

Prof. V.K Sharma, Professor of Disaster Management, IIPA delivering the Valedictory

Address

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use there is need for all of us to improve our consumption patterns, which is a

difficult task. Changing behaviours and in particular motivating more

sustainable behaviours, is far from straightforward. Population is increasing by

bacterial rate, affluence is increasing, and we lack green technology; all this is

contributing to unsustainable lifestyles. He said we are guided more by what

others around us say and do than our personal choice and needs.

Consumption is also implicated in processes of identity formation, social

distinction and identification. We are living in a consumer society with massive

expansion in the availability of consumer goods even in the developed

economies. Fundamental aspects of our cultural identity are different now

from what they were a hundred years back. Modern consumer society has its

own logic, dynamics, ethics, and its own myths. This perspective on the

centrality of consumption in modern society is obviously daunting.

For motivating sustainable consumer behavior, consumer awareness

and understanding of the impact of their choices needs to be raised.

Consumer must be provided information – knowledge about the whole

lifecycle of the product. This will automatically be followed by changes in

consumption choices. Behavioural changes so introduced must be maintained

as the world around is full of allurements. Consumer power must be

recognised and channelized in proper direction in order to progress towards

sustainable consumption and production. Ultimately choice should only be

between one sustainable product and another. Every one of us has to do little

bit to bring a change.

Dr. Sapna Chadah proposed the vote of thanks and wrapped up the

seminar.

(Sapna Chadah) (Shyamli Singh)

Course Coordinators