A Guide to Sustainable Consumer Behaviour可持续消费行为指南

Getting your Costa coffee in your own cup， instead of a single-use one， is an example of sustainable consumption. But a simple act of sustain-able consumption is not the same as sustainable behaviour—it’s just one aspect.

在咖世家用自带杯装咖啡，而不用一次性咖啡杯，这是可持续消费的一个例子。但是，一个简单的可持续消费举动并不等于可持续行为——只是其中一方面罢了。

Sustainable consumer behaviour is about how we （consumers） think about sustainability and then act on it. It’s about how your attitude， behaviour and actions are driven—or not driven—by sustainability concerns and goals.

可持续消费行为关注的是我们（消费者）如何考量可持续性并将之付诸行动。它关注你的态度、行为和行动如何受到可持续发展关切和目标的驱动。

To sum it up， sustainable consumption behaviour is about your lifestyle.

概括地说，可持续消费行为与你的生活方式息息相关。

There are three steps in the process to becoming a sustainable consumer：

成为践行可持续行为的消费者，需要三步：

1. Consuming better

2. Buying better

3. Disposing better

1. 消费更理性

2. 购买更得当

3. 处理更妥善

Consuming better vs buying better

消费更理性与购买更得当的区别

You can’t really start buying better until you understand how you can be consuming better.

不弄明白如何让消费更理性，就无法真正做到购买更得当。

Here’s the key difference between consuming better and buying better：

以下是消费更理性与购买更得当的主要区别：

Consuming better is about having green values and making eco-friendly choices. These choices could include： saving energy at home， travelling in the most eco-friendly way， commuting cleverly， reducing meat consumption， supporting local products/services， picking eco-friendly materials， opting for DIY instead of buying something， and learning to reuse stuff.

“消费更理性”指的是秉承绿色理念，做出对环境友好的选择。这些选择可能包括家庭节能、以最环保的方式旅游、巧妙通勤、减少肉类消费、支持本地产品与服务、选购环保材料、自制代替购买，以及学会重复利用。

But consuming better is also making sure something is worth buying， even if it’s labelled as eco-friendly.

但是，消费更理性还包括确定商品值得购买，即使是有环保标签的商品也要三思。

Buying better is about purchasing things that reflect our eco-values and eco-choices. This is the next step， once we have established our eco- and eth-ical values and know-how to make eco-friendly choices.

“购买更得当”是指购买体现我们环保理念与环保选择的产品。待我们树立了环保理念与道德观念，掌握了如何才能做出对环境友好的选择，第二步就是“购买更得当”。

For example， when we want to save energy at home， our next fridge should be an energy-efficient fridge.

举例而言，要想做到家庭节能，下次就要购买节能冰箱。

Another example is that we often can’t avoid purchasing suncream. But in order to reduce our environmental impact， we should look for reef-friendly options.

再举一个例子，防晒霜通常是我们必买的产品。但是，为了减少对环境的不良影响，我们应该挑选对珊瑚礁无害的防晒用品。

After that， it all comes down to disposal.

之后，一切归结于如何妥善处理。

To help you get there， we’ve outlined the three initial steps and used your daily cup of coffee as an example.

为助你达成目标，我们概述了三大步骤，并以你日常饮用的咖啡为例。

Step 1 — consuming better

第一步：消费更理性

Our consumption doesn’t just cover the physical items we buy， but the lifestyles we lead. And that is the first thing we want to change.

消费不只是购买实体商品，还涉及我们的生活方式。我们首先要改变的就是生活方式。

Sustainable consumer behaviour often means being conscious of your actions and the impact they have on the world. Use this consciousness to create key values that you want to follow.

可持续消费行为通常意味着消费者意识到自己的消费行为及其对地球的影响。要用这份意识树立自己想要遵循的核心价值观。

EXAMPLE： Instead of reaching for your usual Fairtrade1 coffee in a reusable cup， you consider and are conscious of the entire impact coffee has on farmers， their investments， the corporate businesses profiting from the coffee shop chain （and their impacts on sustainability）， as well as packaging materials， transport emissions and costs… the list goes on.

示例：与其用可重复使用的杯子去喝平时常喝的有国际公平贸易认证标签的咖啡，不如思考并关注咖啡产业带来的整体影响，涉及种植者、其投资、从连锁咖啡店中获利的企业（以及这类企业对可持续性的影响）、包装材料、运输排放及成本等等，不胜枚举。

Quite often， we find that true sustainable consumption leads to simplifying your lifestyle， rather than just switching from one brand to another.

我们往往能得出这样一个结论：真正的可持续消费意味着简化生活方式，而不是简单地从一个品牌换到另一个。

Step 2 — buying better

第二步：购买更得当

So， we’ve already decided to consume better. Now， we put that know-ledge into action and buy better.

既然我们已经决定要让消费更理性，下一步就要把认识付诸行动，让购买更得当。

Buying things is not a passive action. To buy better， with sustainable consumer behaviour， you should check for valid certifications and find out what they really mean， so you can avoid  greenwashing2 and not fall for the marketing spiel. So do your own research！

购买不是被动的行为。为了做到购买更得当，实践可持续消费行为，你应该去查验产品是否拥有有效的认证，并了解其真实含义，这样才能避开打着绿色幌子的产品，避免落入市场营销套路。所以，要自己做调查！

EXAMPLE： After becoming aware of the full sustainability impact of your usual coffee， you decide to save it for special occasions （still selecting Fairtrade， sustainable coffee） and switch to herbal teas you can make from your own garden， or a local British tea bag company using British-grown ingredients.

示例：认识到往常喝咖啡的行为对可持续性造成的全面影响，你决定今后只在特别的场合饮用（仍然选择有国际公平贸易认证标签的可持续咖啡）。平时就换成自己能在花园里种植的花草茶，或者选择英国本土公司用英国产原料制作的茶包。