11 © ISTOCKPHOTO.COM THE FUTURE WE WANT Presentation 1

22 © ZIG KOCH / WWF UNDERSTANDING SUSTAINABILITY

The future we want: Presentation1 3 What is sustainability? There is no concrete definition of sustainability, but this is a useful starting point: “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

The future we want: Presentation1 4 How we consume In the past, most people survived with the basic goods they needed, with occasional luxuries when they could afford them. When items got broken they mended them whenever possible. ©

The future we want: Presentation1 5 How we consume In the late 19th and early 20th century all this began to change in Europe and the US. Cheap materials and rising wages started to mean that people could afford to buy more. ©

The future we want: Presentation1 6 How we consume In the 1950s people in richer countries started to be presented with a huge choice of different goods. Shopping became a hobby for people, and they began to define themselves by the items they bought – for example, the type of clothes they wore. © © RICHARD STONEHOUSE / WWF- UK

The future we want: Presentation1 7 How we consume As people have become more addicted to consuming, they’ve begun to waste more, replacing goods with newer versions while they’re still in working order. ©

8 The life cycle of a T-shirt 1.Cotton plants are planted and watered regularly. 2.Cotton plants are harvested. 3.The raw cotton is processed, washed and dyed. 4.The raw cotton is made into sheets of fabric 5.The T-shirt shape is cut out and sewed together. 6.The T-shirt is wrapped in plastic and packed. 7.The packed T-shirts are transported from the factory to a shop by boat and lorry. 8.The T-shirts are bought and worn. 9.The T-shirt is washed, dried, ironed and worn again. 10.The T-shirt is thrown away and is buried as landfill. The future we want: Presentation1

9 Consumer society: Pros Consumer society guarantees that people have a choice over the products they use in their life. The economy depends on people spending their wages. Buying products that are made in other countries means money is distributed around the world. By recycling and reusing products we can avoid wasting materials.

The future we want: Presentation1 10 Consumer society: Cons In order to maintain low prices, goods are made in countries with cheap labour and transported to the UK. People’s expectation that they’ll always buy new products means products are no longer built to last. Every product that’s thrown away required huge amounts of resources and effort to produce. If people bought fewer things they could work less and spend more time enjoying other parts of their life such as time with their family.