You don’t need me to tell you the world is entering the middle of the unknown.

Our climate is shifting, planetary resources are being drained faster than they can replenish, and countries routinely exceed agreed regenerative boundaries.

Waves of waste continue to grow while social inequalities, conflicts, and climate-forced migrations remain ever-present.

Underpinning all these is a root discussion about the central cause: unlimited economic growth rooted in material overconsumption

And while fears of overpopulation have subsided, concerns are shifting to behaviors like impulsive buying that keep fueling this endless growth.

Researchers have found that impulsive purchases make up as much as 90% of all buying decisions.

But concerns about impulsive buying highlight a rarely discussed issue.

Why?

There is a sharp conflict between traditional business goals and new consumption methods emphasizing minimalism, voluntary simplicity, or anti-consumption.

Can you imagine any business plan based on “degrowing” sales numbers?

It is never feasible.

Instead, can you consider not buying all those things last Black Friday?

It sounds very realistic and beneficial for your wallet.

However, any business owner is a customer, too, and we should not stand on different sides of the wall

How could businesses navigate this consumption challenge at all?

Until we sort it out, we may forget about a sustainable future.

Think it yourself – Sustainable Development Goals envision a sustainable world by 2030. It is in five years, BTW.

Multiple reports show that current methods, such as sticking to existing regulations and policies, won’t suffice.

That means conventional strategies like innovations, green growth, and government-led policy transformations are not sufficient.

Degrowth? It is also based on policy proposals – keep that in mind. Even if it is gaining popularity in public talks, its impact on everyday life remains minimal.

We need to forget the idea that someone will come up and sort it out alone; it will not work this time.

This time, the issue is too big.

While technical solutions and public policy play vital roles, they are inadequate when considered in isolation from people.

Well, there is an idea to move forward through socially sustainable transformations.

Ambitious transformation goal.

The reality?

Actual actions, indicators, and even people targets regarding everyday sustainable consumption practices are around zero.

I applaud those with three rubbish bins for plastic and paper sorting, those who buy “biological” products, and even those who ban Black Fridays.

Among 8 billion people, we are not a representative group yet.

Do you know that personal and psychological factors deeply influence the way we live, including impulsive buying?

That points to the fact that current unlimited growth is not only orchestrated by businesses but also deeply desired by the public

Academic propositions, based on data from a decade of research, highlight the importance of cultural and educational change as significant factors needed to achieve sustainable consumption.

This needs lifestyle changes, process adjustments, and time to cultivate new values, making discussions on self-transformation a priority.

Self-transformation has nothing to do with government actions or policy proposals, right?

It is not about the hours spent meditating, Ayahuasca intakes, or the number of empathy circles shared.

With all my respect, this is beyond that.

It is in everyday transactions between a customer and the business world where services and products are exchanged.

We need businesses in the dialogue, not as punished scapegoats but as those who reflect deep societal problems.

There is a proposal exploring business strategies that can drive societal transformation toward sustainable consumption and production patterns

It suggests that business is not inherently evil, powered by people, and has a role to play.

Each business-involved person is a human with a heart and soul, who wants a promising future for their kids.

Rather than playing as usual, businesses could become a powerful force driving the consumption revolution.

Consumption revolution: a call for change

Toth and Szigeti emphasized that population growth has always been the main driver in biosphere transformation, but there has been a stronger one: accelerating consumption.

They pointed out that instead of a “population bomb,” we should speak about an “overconsumption detonator” of environmental disaster.

We not only exceed sustainable consumption levels, but even those who identify themselves as environmentalists and conscious consumers often make unsustainable choices.

Researchers have found that although the majority of consumers indicate a preference for greener, healthier, and more sustainable products, their actual purchasing behaviors frequently deviate from these stated preferences, resulting in an attitude-behavior gap.

For example, Ismael and Ploeger reported that while many acknowledge that consuming organic food enhances their well-being, they often overlook the implications of the misalignment between their intentions and actual behaviors.

Pereira Heath and Chatzidakis revealed that most respondents distanced themselves from those who purchase excessively when challenged about their behavior.

According to Liu et al., the attitude-behavior gap topic has been central to academic research since 2006, when various researchers greatly expanded their understanding of the core influencing factors driving sustainable consumption behavior.

Nevertheless, the “attitude-behavior gap” persists.

Individual consumption is based on impulsive buying behavior when a consumer experiences a persistent urge to buy something immediately.

Amos et al. point out two studies: the research by Coca-Cola, which shows that impulsive buying accounts for more than 50% of all their grocery purchases, and the National Endowment for Financial Education study, which found that more than 87% of American adults admit to impulsive buying.

Don’t even tell me about the “Western way of life” here. Wang et al. cited a report indicating that 68% of online purchases in China are impulsive.

Collectivism and individualism are dead; we are in a global overconsumption culture.

We are all into that, together.

Deeply into overconsumption as a global phenomenon

Kacen et al. noted that impulsive buying accounts for almost 80% of purchases in specific product categories.

Husnain et al. found that it represents between 40% and 80% of overall purchases.

Spiteri Cornish observes that, be it positive or negative, hedonic or utilitarian, individual or social, any of our impulsive choices are well-known to businesses and intricately woven into the fabric of retail success.

It has been suggested that encouraging spur-of-the-moment purchases becomes a symphony of urgency, social influence and retail design.

Considerable academic attention has been devoted to exploring ways to enhance sustainable consumption by reducing impulsive buying.

Consequently, businesses face unprecedented challenges in identifying where to direct their efforts.

Given that there is a strong call for wealthy economies to:

·       abandon growth of gross domestic product as a goal,

·       scale down destructive and unnecessary forms of production,

·       reduce energy and material use, and

·       focus economic activity around securing human needs and well-being

What on Earth should businesses do?

There is a profound question: “What should for-profit firms consider when developing strategies that align with sustainable consumption?”

Could you let this question sink in and come back to it next time?

There is a need to come back, as without people, we will make no progress.

Business people are the majority, as we all, employed or self-employed, are involved in the business fabric of today’s life.

If policy proposals, growth or degrowth, and tech solutions will not cut it, we are talking about collective change in the way we live through life.

The macroeconomic models for paper-based ideas will not move anything forward.

Let’s stop living in illusions and get our hands dirty in real life.

We need to meet people where they are.

That’s all for today.

We’ll talk again in two weeks.

If these words were helpful to you, please share your thoughts with Emotional Capital Newsletter readers: we are happy to hear from you!

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Find me on LinkedIn or website. Send me professional inquiries at Kirkus ProConnect. Whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

1. Emotional Capital Newsletter promotes freedom from buying urges and overconsumption, advocating for global emotional health as a foundation for a post-growth economy.
2. Emotional Capital for the Triple Win: 50 Innovative Ways to Lead the Consumption Revolution book reveals 50 business ways to transform consumer behavior for a triple win: benefiting people, the planet, and universal prosperity.
3. The Gift of Sensitivity Book saves you precious time by summarizing 8 years of research & personal journey for extraordinary faculties such as creativity, originality, innovation, intuition, flexibility, and inclusiveness in times of technological acceleration.

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For passionate readers:

Researcher’s details with full citations can be found in the book Emotional Capital for the Triple Win