Dematerialised consumption

Hunger can be satisfied by food. But anyone who tries to fill his yearning for security and love with consumer goods soon feels empty again. The solution for human beings and the environment is to satisfy intangible needs with intangible goods – and material needs with efficiently produced material goods.

You will certainly have experienced this scenario: You are tired after a hard day at work and there’s no time for the things you would really like to do. And yet you would like to reward yourself, give yourself a treat, take your mind off all the stress. So you buy something. Perhaps an item of clothing, something that gives you pleasure.

The pleasure fades – the CO₂ remains

Shopping is fun. But it’s not really satisfying in the long term. We soon get used to new things and our pleasure disappears. But what are dispersed much more slowly are the consequences of consumerism. Let’s say you’ve bought yourself a new pair of trainers. They were manufactured in the Far East, consumed energy and raw materials in the process, and generated CO₂. They were then shipped abroad, advertising campaigns were set up, films produced and after a season you might well buy new shoes again, so the old ones have to be disposed of. All these processes give rise to CO₂. When our pleasure has long dissolved into thin air, the CO₂ continues to hang in the atmosphere, perhaps for centuries.

Can we go on like this? This question issues a challenge both to manufacturers and people like ourselves. 

Companies will use raw materials efficiently and in closed cycles

Companies will learn to produce goods more efficiently and to recycle them. The keywords here are resource efficiency and cradle-to-cradle design. Today, all too often valuable resources are thrown away after having served a short life as disposable products. Some examples? Heat leaves our home through windows and drains, although it could be used to pre-heat fresh air and cold water. Appliances are thrown away although only a tiny screw is missing or an electronic element is defective. No-one can repair them. In future, we will treat these goods with more care in a process that extends from cradle-to-cradle. All goods would be completely integrated into cycles. Raw materials would no longer be lost. We would take our cue from trees, whose leaves fall to the ground in autumn and become nutrients for next spring’s blossoms. 

People will satisfy their intangible needs in intangible ways

People like ourselves are called upon to act by the same token. We won’t have to do without consumption – as long as we learn to make a small distinction. The example of trainers, for instance, concerns material consumption of objects, goods that are sold and consumed. But we can also consume immaterial goods: instead of buying a new TV set, I can afford several health or beauty treatments. Instead of buying myself a new shirt or kitchen appliance, I can join a language or dance course, go to a concert or take a pleasant boat trip.

Thinking afresh for more fun and fulfilment: intangible consumption gives lasting pleasure

Immaterial consumption has many advantages: it places less stress on the environment, it predominantly supports our local economy and ultimately makes people happier than its material counterpart, according to scientists who have studied the secrets of happiness. Experience leads to more sustained satisfaction than possessions do. We experience relationships as being both stimulating and entertaining.

The solution might be expressed in the following way: human beings have material needs such as shelter, clothing and food. These must be met by material consumption. Then comes a hunger for recognition, friendships, relationships, love, work etc. These immaterial needs call for immaterial goods. By thinking afresh, we discover completely new forms of fulfilment for ourselves.