Consumerism is a social pattern in which acquiring and consuming goods take on cultural importance beyond meeting basic needs. Consumption is the practical process of choosing, buying, using, maintaining, repairing and disposing of goods and services. The distinction matters: consumption is part of everyday life, while consumerism describes the emphasis a society places on acquisition.
What is consumerism?
Consumerism is commonly used to describe a culture in which buying and owning goods are treated as important routes to status, identity, comfort or quality of life. It is a useful working description, not a single settled definition. Official sustainability sources tend to focus on consumption and production rather than offering a full theory or history of consumerism.
Consumption itself is broader than the moment of purchase. The OECD describes household consumption across areas such as food, travel, energy, water and waste, and across the sequence of selecting, buying, using and disposing of products and services. Maintenance, repair and reuse also affect how long products serve their purpose.
How does consumerism affect the environment?
Environmental impacts are not limited to what happens after someone buys something. They can occur when raw materials are extracted, goods are manufactured and distributed, products are used, and they are eventually reused or discarded. UNEP therefore frames sustainable consumption and production as change across whole product and service life cycles, requiring cooperation among governments, businesses and civil society.
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UNEP describes sustainable consumption and production as “doing more and better with less.” Its policy page defines sustainable consumption as “the use of services and related products, which respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life while minimizing the use of natural resources and toxic materials as well as the emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle of the service or product so as not to jeopardize the needs of future generations.” UNEP’s sustainable consumption and production page was last updated 24 June 2019.
Historical UN figures show how material demand has grown, though they should not be mistaken for current measurements. The United Nations Statistics Division reported that the global material footprint increased from 48.5 billion metric tons in 2000 to 69.3 billion in 2010; the per-person figure rose from 8 metric tons to 10.1 metric tons over the same period. In 2010, the footprint was 34.7 metric tons per person in Australia and New Zealand and 2.5 metric tons per person in sub-Saharan Africa. Those regional differences illustrate unequal material demand, not a complete measure of individual responsibility or well-being. The UN’s 2017 SDG report on Goal 12 reports these historical indicators chiefly through 2010.
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What are the effects of consumerism?
Consumerism can make acquisition central to how people express identity, pursue convenience or judge success. When that pattern contributes to more material demand, its consequences can include greater resource use, pollution and waste across production and disposal. The scale and type of impact depend on what is consumed, how it is produced and transported, how long it is used, and what happens at the end of its useful life.
Consumption is also economically significant. OECD reports that consumer spending averages 60% of GDP in OECD member countries. That figure describes economic scale; on its own, it does not show whether consumption improves well-being or is environmentally sustainable. The OECD page does not state the publication year beside the statistic and was accessed in 2026. OECD’s consumer policy overview also reports that 65% of more than 17,000 households across nine countries said they were willing to make personal lifestyle compromises for environmental benefit. The page does not state the survey year, and reported willingness is not evidence that participants later changed their behavior.
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How can we consume more sustainably?
There is no universally best choice between buying new, repairing, buying second-hand, sharing or doing without. A useful decision considers the item’s full life cycle, the likelihood that it will remain useful, and the alternatives that are realistic and affordable where you live.
- Start with the need and expected use. If an item would see little use, consider whether borrowing, sharing or a second-hand option can meet the need. These alternatives depend on local availability and suitability.
- Check durability and repairability. A product that can be maintained or repaired may stay useful longer. Whether repair is practical depends on its design, parts, skills, cost and access to service.
- Consider the full life cycle. Production and extraction matter alongside use and disposal. A choice that looks preferable at one stage is not automatically better overall; actual lifespan, transport and end-of-life handling can change the comparison.
- Assess affordability and access. The environmentally preferable option is not useful advice if it is unavailable or unaffordable for a household’s circumstances.
- Look for evidence behind environmental claims. A label or broad “green” claim is not, by itself, proof of lower impact. OECD consumer policy identifies misleading environmental claims, product safety, repair rights, sustainability by design and green defaults as areas relevant to making better choices.
Individual decisions are only part of the solution. Product design, clear information, repair access, affordability and the availability of lower-impact options shape what consumers can choose. UNEP’s life-cycle approach therefore places responsibility across systems of production and consumption, not only at the checkout.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is the difference between consumption and consumerism?
| Term | Meaning | Why the distinction matters |
|---|---|---|
| Consumption | The practical use and lifecycle of goods and services, including selection, purchase, use, maintenance, repair, reuse and disposal. | It includes necessary and ordinary activities, from food and travel to energy and water. |
| Consumerism | A social pattern that gives acquiring and consuming goods cultural importance beyond meeting basic needs. | It describes a value or emphasis, not every act of using or buying something. |
| Sustainable consumption | Meeting basic needs and supporting quality of life while reducing resource use, toxic materials, waste and pollution across product and service life cycles. | It seeks to improve outcomes without assuming that all consumption should stop. |
The OECD’s household-consumption framework comes from a publication dated 29 April 2002, so it is useful for understanding the range of household activities rather than as a summary of the latest policy landscape. The OECD publication on sustainable household consumption covers areas including food, travel, energy, water and waste.
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