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Jessika Richter

Jessika Richter

Associate senior lecturer

Jessika Richter

Digitalization: A Potential Tool for Sustainable Consumption?

Author

  • Matthias Lehner
  • Jessika Luth Richter
  • Oksana Mont

Editor

  • Kristina Bäckström
  • Carys Egan-Wyer
  • Emma Samsioe

Summary, in English

Given the outsized impact that digitalization has had on consumption over the last two decades, the lack of academic interest in sustainable consumption is noteworthy. In this book chapter, we set the scene for the fundamentally important discussion about how digitalization affects consumption. We ask whether digitalization is a positive or a negative force for shaping consumption levels and patterns in a sustainable direction. We organize our discussion around three waves of digitalization that impact consumption and we discuss the implications of these for sustainability. During the first wave, e-commerce became mainstream and led to a dramatic reduction in transaction costs. The second wave led to consumers becoming more empowered, enabling users to connect and actively create content, and to repair, make, or share goods and services. During the most recent wave, giant Internet companies are increasingly providing, and controlling digital consumption experiences rather than selling physical goods, potentially leading to a significantly lower environmental impact per dollar spent. We conclude that digitalization has many inherent traits that make it a strong tool for sustainable consumption, but also that—being devoid of policy guidance—it can equally act as an accelerator of consumption.

Department/s

  • The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics

Publishing year

2023-10-05

Language

English

Pages

189-204

Publication/Series

The Future of Consumption : How Technology, Sustainability and Wellbeing will Transform Retail and Customer Experience

Document type

Book chapter

Publisher

Palgrave Macmillan

Topic

  • Economics and Business

Status

Published

Project

  • MISTRA Sustainable Consumption - from niche to mainstream (Phase II)

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISBN: 978-3-031-33246-3
  • ISBN: 978-3-031-33245-6
  • ISBN: 978-3-031-33248-7