Global Action Plan International

Changing consumption patterns towards environmental and social sustainability is one of the most pressing challenges of our time. Despite increasing efficiency in production processes and energy needs of products, consumption patterns continue to put high pressures on the environment. These pressures are already exceeding the planet’s carrying capacity and are likely to increase dramatically by the growing consumption trends in emerging economies. However, some innovative approaches have already been taken that hold the promise of really impacting lifestyles. In addition to developing new effective approaches, these existing good practices need to be mainstreamed, replicated and scaled up.
This paper is a review of projects and initiatives aimed at encouraging sustainable consumption patterns and changing our lifestyles. We present more than 20 case studies from around the world and show how positive impact has been created.