Helio mattar - Akatú

Instituto Akatu pelo Consumo Consciente

Conscious Consumption and

2011 © Instituto Akatu
Sustainability: Opportunities and Threats

Walmart Chile
Lauching of the Sustainability Consortium
Helio Mattar
President
Akatu Institute for Conscious Consumption


The word “Akatu”
Tupi : “a” (seed / world) + “Katu” (good / better)

Good Seed Good Individual
or or
Better World Better Collective


Akatu’s Mission
To mobilize people to use the
transforming power

of their conscious consumption acts
as an instrument to build
the sustainability of life in the the planet

Among the 100 most competent NGOs
in the world to work with companies.

WORLD POPULATION
1804 1927

2 billion (123 years later) 1960: 3 billion (33 years later)

1974: 4 billion (14 years later)



2010: 7.0 billion
2020 Forecast: 7.7 billion
2050 Forecast: 9.0 billion


CONSUMPTION AND THE WORLD
POPULATION
1960 2010

World Population
2.2 times more

3.0 BILLION 7.0 BILLION

Consumption $$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$ 6.0 times more $$$$$$$$$$
5 TRILLION 32 TRILLION

In only 40 years: 2.2 x population
and 6.0 x consumption
Source: State of the World Report 2010


InSustainability
Use of Natural Resources
Number of Planets 1.5

1.4

1.2 1.0

1.0 0.9 1961-2010
0.7
0.8
0.5
0.6

0.4

0.2

0 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Use of Natural Resources per Capability of the planet regenerate
population around the planet (Biocapability)

Source: Living Planet Report 2010 – World Wild Foundation / Global Footprint and Living Planet Report 2010 / WWF


SUSTAINABILITY OF LIFE ON THE PLANET

+

Today the world already consumes 50% more
renewable resources than the Earth can regenerate

And only 16% of humanity
consumes 78% of total
consumption

Living Planet Report 2010 / WWF


ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

If all of humanity were to consume as the average
consumer of the most developed countries such as
USA, Europe, Canada and Australia...

We would need around 5 planets to supply that
consumption.
FONTE: WWF BRASIL


Technology change, by itself, would be
sufficient to attain sustainability in natural
resources?

NO !!!

To supply the natural resources for the
consumption of the whole of humanity with only
1 planet, it would be necessary to use
almost 5 times (!!!) less natural resources
per unit of products or services than today’s.


Sustainability equation, necessarily
involves =

Conscious Consumption
+ Technology Change
+ Public Policies


Corporations, consumption and
sustainability

in an interconnected world

CONSUMERS IN THE XXIst CENTURY

Paradigm shift

1. Perception that natural uncertainty about the
resources are not infinite habitat

2. Instability and constant
changes in the workplace personal insecurity

uncertainty about the
3. Reduction in role of the
state's role as protector
state

Uncertainty about the future = insecurity


CONSUMERS IN THE XXIst CENTURY

Understands that what happens to other people
may happen to him/herself

Clear perception about interdependence,
that leads to solidarity

Solidarity that leads to demand that
the environment and society be protected from
negative impacts
(for the world he/she lives in)


Expectation of consumers

Powerful should take care of the environment
and society

Powerful should take care of others = nurture
good quality relationships

Expectation of corporations: Good quality
relationships and contribution to the
development of society


Is Brazil different?

Strong culture of solidarity among the poor

Activist media: environment and society

Globally: media portrays expectations of
consumers and citizens.
Occupy Wall Street was global!!!


CONSUMERS IN AN INTERCONNECTED WORLD
Consumer 2.0 – 3.0

Access to information from Changes the process of
increasingly diverse establishing
sources public opinion

Almost any action or omission of any corporation is
visible to the consumer and to stakeholders in general

Stakeholders are vehicles of communication:
the reputation of a company depends more and more
on what is said about it
and less and less on what it says about itself


Digital social networks



Threats for corporations in the XXIst century

Hyper competition
Hyper comoditization
Hyper speed of change

Threats Interconnected consumer
Hyper sensitivity of the consumer to
social and environmental questions
Difficult balance for corporations to
keep their licence to operate

Licence to operate depends
on ethical values and principles taken to practice

Opportunities for corporations in the XXIst century
To comprehend in real time
the changes in the
expectations of stakeholders
To differentiate by the quality
of its relations

Quality of relations reflect the
Opportunities real principles and values of
the corporation
Day to day practice of values
and principles leads to loyalty
of consumers to the brand

Radical transparency in a continuous dialogue
with all stakeholders


Opportunities and threats come from the visibility
and transparency of the impacts of companies
and their supply chains

Opportunity: Radical transparency given to what
the company (a) does and does well, (b) does and

needs improvement, (c) does and should stop
doing, (d) does not do and should start doing
Never pretending: it is a bigger threat
– boomerang in the digital social network

Stakeholders tell what they see and feel
and become loyal and cause others to be loyal
to the brand (or not)


XXIst century companies:
condemned to be ethical

Acid test: redefine products to reduce

negative social and environmental impacts
Importance of life cycle analysis leading to
changing production impacts

COMPANIES: PART OF THE PROBLEM OR
PART OF THE SOLUTION?
Major Challenges

Educate consumers about sustainabilit and the fact
that it is a process of continuous improvement:

helping consumers to become more conscious of
the impacts of consumption – consumers as allies

Agressive transparency to gain credibility:
differentiate from opportunists


FROM:
Companies exist to make profits
Milton Friedman

TO:
Companies make profits to exist, but exist for a

higher purpose.
Ray Anderson

AND TO:
The purpose of business should be
redefined as shared value creation and
not just profits.
Michael Porter


Sustainable Future

A different consumption
• From disposable to durable
• From global to local
• From individual to shared use
• From waste to full use

• From excess to sufficiency
• From unhealthy to healthy
• From material to virtual
• From tangible to experience
• From competition to cooperation
• From unsustainable to sustainable


A different consumption
From a paradigm of products

to a paradigm of well being


Society of conscious consumers



Thank you!!!
Helio Mattar
helio.mattar@akatu.org.br


Helio mattar - Akatú

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