1. Materials and Consumption
PGCE d&t
September 15
Richard Brett

2. 1 The using up of a resource 2 An amount of something that is used up
What is ‘Consumption’?
1 The using up of a resource
2 An amount of something that is used up
3 The purchase and use of goods and services by the public
(Dictionary)

3. Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21st Century
Consumption
If we continue in our current approach – the ‘business as usual’ model…we will need the following to meet our future needs…
This indicates unequivocally that our current trajectory of consumption CANNOT be sustained!
‘Spaceship Earth’
Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21st Century

4. Consumption - why do I consume?
Because…
I really like shopping
I need cheering up
I can afford to
I want to show off
It’s ok… we recycle
It was cheap
It was expensive
You can’t take it with you
It’s for my hobby
It’s an investment
There’s nothing else to do
…to fulfill a desire
Because…
I need it
The last one is broken/lost/obsolete
I don’t have time to make/mend/find/borrow one
To save time
To save money
…to fulfill a need

6. Consumption - why is buying stuff good?
It feels good having new stuff
I feel special
I like having what everyone else has got
Because I worked hard and now I’m going to enjoy it
Because buying things makes us
feel happy for a little while
To create jobs
To keep the economy on track
It’s morally acceptable/encouraged
It’s my duty as a good citizen
Because increased sales and
economic growth are desirable goals

7. “Show your confidence… Show you’re not afraid. Go to restaurants
“Show your confidence… Show you’re not afraid. Go to restaurants. Go shopping”
Rudy Giuliani addressing New York citizens post 9/11 attack

8. In 2008, the wealthiest 20% of the world accounted for 76
In 2008, the wealthiest 20% of the world accounted for 76.6% of total private consumption, The poorest 20% accounted for 1.5%

9. Consumption - population
none yr 0
1 billion
2 billion yrs
3 billion yrs
4 billion yrs
5 billion yrs
6 billion yrs
7 billion (31st Oct)
From about 50,000 B.C a total of approximately 106 billion people have been born,
Making the current global population roughly 6% of all people who have ever lived.
(Population Reference Bureau 1995)

10. Oil consumption per capita 2003
Consumption - oil
Oil consumption per capita 2003
North America
1,593.1 litres per person
Developing Countries
59.2 litres per person
World Resources Institute.

11. Consumption - plastic

12. Consumption - plastic Plastics consumption
is growing about 4% every year
in western Europe.
7% of total plastic waste
is currently being recycled
57% of litter found
on beaches in 2003
was plastic
WasteOnline

13. Consumption - food miles
Food we eat typically travels
between 1, ,000 miles
from farm to our dinner plate.
(+25% from 1980 and 2001)
(Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University)
76% of apples consumed in the UK
come from overseas
About 70% of all fish eaten in UK
originate in foreign waters (

14. Every year worldwide we kill:
Consumption - meat
Every year worldwide we kill:
40 billion chickens
1 billion pigs
300 million beef cattle
500 million sheep and goats
130 million tonnes of fish
35 million animals for fur (

15. 12 % of the world’s population uses
Consumption - water
12 % of the world’s population uses
85% of its water
(The Institute for Food and Development Policy)
In the UK the average person uses
150 litres a day,
incl.50 litres a day to flush toilets
1.8 billion people with a water source
within 1 km, but not in their house,
consume around 20 litres per day.
(The highest average water use in the world
is in the US, at 600 litres day.) (

16. Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21st Century
Consumption - one planet living
By 2050 at current consumption rates
we will need:
8.5 planets to absorb CO2 emissions
6 planets worth of steel
3.5 planets to sustain cement supply
3.5 planets to meet timber demand
If we continue in our current approach – the ‘business as usual’ model…we will need the following to meet our future needs…
This indicates unequivocally that our current trajectory of consumption CANNOT be sustained!
If everyone in the world lived like an average North American we would need 5 planets to live on
If everyone in the world lived like an average European we would need 3 planets to live on (
‘Spaceship Earth’
Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21st Century

17. Consumption - global CO2 emissions
Global population
7.3 billion (+1.15%pa)
Global CO2 emissions
29.8 billion tonnes
Global average CO2 emissions
4.1 tonnes per head
(Stern Report recommends
2-3 tonnes per head by 2050)
USA tonnes
Europe tonnes
(UK tonnes)
China tonnes
India tonne
Africa <1 tonne

18. Consumption - social issues
The failure of additional wealth and consumption to help people have satisfying lives may be the most eloquent argument for re-evaluating our current approach to consumption.
Individuals often face personal costs associated with heavy levels of consumption:
financial debt
time and stress associated with working to support consumption
time required to clean, upgrade, store, or maintain possessions
consumption replaces time with family and friends.
Aggressive pursuit of a mass consumption society also correlates with a decline in health indicators in many countries, as obesity, crime, and other social ills continue to surge. (

19. newscientist.com/article/dn20868-psychiatric-illness-is-biggest-source-of-europes-ill-health.html

20. I bought a $7 pen because I always lose pens and I got sick of not caring
Mitch Hedberg