Kalle reflects on Low Consumption Society: Risky Myth vs. Solutions

Kalle reflects on low consumption society

Takeaway for leaders at all levels everywhere

Since the sustainability movement’s rise in the late 1960s, many have urged people in wealthy Western nations to live more modestly so that the developing world can grow in relative affluence. Modesty is a virtue, and a low consumption society can inspire personal growth and ethical behavior. But as a strategy for a livable future on its own, individual frugality is insufficient. The transition we need must be designed and implemented at the systemic level—how we plan cities and mobility, how we generate and store energy, how we grow food and manage forests and oceans, how we circulate materials, and how we educate leaders and professionals. All modelled together within sustainability constraints. Industrialized nations must lead and collaborate with developing countries to share and scale these changes. Within that context, modest living becomes a meaningful expression of priorities, not the main engine of change.

Beyond a low consumption society: from dematerialization to trans-materialization

Sustainable redesign within scientific boundary conditions demands more nuance than simply “use less.” Some flows need dematerialization—significant reductions in volume or intensity—to fit within boundary conditions of sustainability. Others require trans-materialization—the complete phase-out of inherently unsustainable materials and the rapid expansion of alternatives that enable attractive, scalable futures.

That is why experts should ask different questions than “How can we save resources in general?” More precise questions include:
– How much must certain flows be dematerialized to respect sustainability boundaries (for example, NOx emissions)?
– Which flows must be fully phased out because they cannot be reconciled with sustainability (for example, plutonium and uranium fuel)?
– Which flows should expand within tight technical loops to enable thriving societies (for example, certain rare metals in circular systems)?

A blanket push for a low consumption society risks keeping today’s flawed designs largely intact while merely shrinking them. That approach would cause scarcity, chaos, and loss of public trust. The goal is not austerity; it is intelligent redesign guided by boundary conditions for sustainability.

The real blind spots of “consume less”

Reducing consumption as a moral appeal can create two dangerous blind spots. First, it implies that our systems are already well designed and that the problem lies mainly with wasteful individuals—especially in the West. Second, it overlooks the legitimate aspirations of people in developing nations for higher quality of life. If elites mistake frugality campaigns for a sufficient response, they can slide into “business as usual,” blaming the grassroots while postponing systemic redesign.

A better path unites these realities: affluent countries must retool entire life-supporting sectors in partnership with developing nations, enabling shared prosperity within ecological limits. Strategic Sustainable Development (as articulated by Broman and Robèrt in the Journal of Cleaner Production) offers a rigorous framework—the ABCD process within the sustainability funnel—to guide such change.

What to expand, what to phase out

If we want to avert mass starvation, climate refugees, unrest, and resource conflicts, we must shift direction quickly and coherently. That means to consider some essential organizational proposals “on the C-list of ABCD workshops”:

– Expand primary energy from endless flows: solar PV, wind, hydro, waves, sea currents, and geothermal. These flows are non-rival and free from resource-war temptations—no one can hoard sunlight.
– Phase out nuclear power, fossil fuels including natural gas, and large-scale biofuels. These cannot be modeled as sustainable “A” conditions in the ABCD process.
– Expand energy storage, electrification of transport, intelligent grids, and business/governance models aligned with these shifts.
– Phase out fuel-based road transport, including those powered by biofuels and most fuel cells, which do not meet the sustainable “A” test. Exceptions may include hydrogen for aviation and shipping, centered on airport and harbor infrastructure, and limited biofuels as transitional aids.
– Expand restorative agriculture, forestry, and fisheries that rebuild ecosystems and soil carbon.
– Phase out the dominant extractive models of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries that degrade ecosystems and violate sustainability conditions.
– Expand materials, chemistry, and products designed for repair, reuse, and high-quality recycling.
– Phase out all flows of metals not kept in tight technical loops; phase out all flows of plutonium and uranium; and phase out persistent, nature-foreign chemicals unless fully contained in tight technical loops—impossible when products are dispersed into households.
– Expand ABCD education for spatial planners, engineers, policymakers, and leaders to ensure the above actions fit together within boundary conditions and to align investments with elegant B–C–D transitions toward widely attractive futures.
– Phase out reductionist sustainability programs that fix one problem while worsening others—for example, large-scale bioenergy framed as a climate solution that creates severe land-use, biodiversity, and social harms.
– Reform national economies to reward green work and investment over passive capital gains and to build cooperative economic relationships between industrialized and developing countries. The blame-and-pay spectacle at sustainability summits is a symptom of flawed economic design that must be reformed through shared, systemic commitments.

Personal agency in a world beyond the low consumption society

Regardless of income or influence, three priorities matter most for individuals and organizations:
– Learn the basics of Strategic Sustainable Development and the ABCD-in-the-funnel logic.
– Radically increase investments that accelerate the necessary expansions listed above.
– Zero investments that prolong unsustainable flows and structures.

Yes, more modest living can follow from these commitments—and it adds integrity by aligning daily choices with systemic redesign. But don’t let lifestyle shifts distract from the real task: transforming life-supporting systems. Slowing down on the wrong road still leads to the cliff. We need a turn.

Turning strategy into practice inside every organization

At work, champion programs that teach cross-sector strategic sustainability, including the ABCD process and what it implies for energy, mobility, food, materials, and governance. Build coalitions that align procurement, capital planning, R&D, and policy engagement with systemic expansion-and-phase-out priorities. Support green movements that shape public opinion. Vote for leaders who understand that a low consumption society is not an end in itself but a byproduct of intelligent redesign within sustainability’s boundary conditions.

In short, invest where the future must grow, phase out what has no future, and educate for coherence. That is how we replace performative calls to “consume less” with a real pathway to shared prosperity in a truly sustainable, and far wiser, low consumption society.

All hot topic Reflections are direct consequences of our Operative System.

For a deeper dive into the science behind the Operative System that informs all Reflections, see the peer-reviewed Open-Source paper with all its references: doi.org/10.1002/sd.3357. For the full title, see footnote below.

Or, for concluding reflections, practical insights and training, click on “Kalle Reflects” to see all reflections.

If you need any further advice, perhaps getting some further references, please send a question to us from the homepage.

Footnote: Broman, G. I., & Robèrt, K.-H. (2025). Operative System for Strategic Sustainable Development―Coordinating Analysis, Planning, Action, and Use of Supports Such as the Sustainable Development Goals, Planetary Boundaries, Circular Economy, and ScienceBased Targets. Sustainable Development, 1C16.