THE EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENT STATE AND OUTLOOK 2010 CONSUMPTION AND THE ENVIRONMENT What is the SOER 2010? The European environment — state and outlook 2010 (SOER 2010) is aimed primarily at policymakers, in Europe and beyond, involved with framing and implementing policies that could support environmental improvements in Europe. The information also helps European citizens to better understand, care for and improve Europe's environment. The SOER 2010 'umbrella' includes four key assessments: 1. a set of 13 Europe‑wide thematic assessments of key environmental themes; 2. an exploratory assessment of global megatrends relevant for the European environment; 3. a set of 38 country assessments of the environment in individual European countries; 4. a synthesis — an integrated assessment based on the above assessments and other EEA activities. SOER 2010 assessments Thematic Country assessments assessments Understanding SOER 2010 Country profiles climate change — Synthesis — Mitigating National and climate change regional stories Adapting to Common climate change environmental themes Climate change Biodiversity mitigation Land use Land use Nature protection Soil and biodiversity Marine and Waste coastal environment Consumption Assessment of Freshwater and environment global megatrends Material resources Social Air pollution and waste megatrends Water resources: Technological Each of the above quantity and flows megatrends are assessed by each EEA member Economic Freshwater quality country (32) and megatrends EEA cooperating country (6) Environmental Air pollution megatrends Urban environment Political megatrends All SOER 2010 outputs are available on the SOER 2010 website: www.eea.europa.eu/soer. The website also provides key facts and messages, summaries in non‑technical language and audio‑visuals, as well as media, launch and event information. THE EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENT STATE AND OUTLOOK 2010 CONSUMPTION AND THE ENVIRONMENT Cover design: EEA/Rosendahl‑Schultz Grafisk Layout: EEA/Pia Schmidt Copyright notice © EEA, Copenhagen, 2010 Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged, save where otherwise stated. Information about the European Union is available on the Internet. It can be accessed through the Europa server (www.europa.eu). Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2010 ISBN 978‑92‑9213‑154‑8 doi:10.2800/58407 Acknowledgements This assessment was prepared by a team of Lars Fogh ETC/SCP (Carolin Baedeker, WI; Ioannis Bakas, Mortensen and Almut Reichel (both EEA); David CRI; José Acosta Fernandez, WI; Sandra Kolberg, Watson, Mikkel Stenbæk Hansen and Kate Power WI; Andrius Plepys, IIIEE; Jozsef Szlezak, REC; (all ETC/SCP lead partner CRI). Jola Welfens, WI; Carol Wilson, EA; Dominic Wittmer, WI). Many inputs were received from other staff at the EEA (Mikael Skou Andersen, Anca-Diana Barbu, We would like to thank the numerous experts from the Birgit Georgi, Dorota Jarosinska, Peder Jensen, EEA member countries, the European Commission, and Jock Martin, Peter Kristensen, Jan-Erik Petersen, the EEA's Scientific Committee who provided valuable Stefan Speck, Ronan Uhel, Gerald Vollmer) and comments during the consultation process. European Environment Agency Kongens Nytorv 6 1050 Copenhagen K Denmark Tel.: +45 33 36 71 00 Fax: +45 33 36 71 99 Web: eea.europa.eu Enquiries: eea.europa.eu/enquiries Thematic assessment | Consumption and the environment Consumption and the environment Summary ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 4 1 Introduction �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 6 1.1 Why do we need to address consumption? ...................................................................... 6 1.2 The policy challenge: some first reflections ..................................................................... 7 2 Consumption patterns in Europe and their worldwide environmental pressures and impacts ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 9 2.1 Trends in consumption expenditure ................................................................................ 9 2.2 Current European consumption patterns have high environmental impacts .......................... 9 2.3 The unseen trade in environmental pressures ................................................................ 11 2.4 Environmental pressures caused by different consumption categories ............................... 12 2.5 Low‑pressure households — a good example of more environmentally sustainable consumption? ........................................................................................... 17 3 Understanding what shapes current and potential future consumption ������������������ 18 3.1 Economic influences on consumption ........................................................................... 18 3.2 Demographic influences on consumption ...................................................................... 19 3.3 Technology and innovation as drivers of consumption ..................................................... 20 3.4 Urbanisation and the role of infrastructure .................................................................... 21 3.5 Social and cultural influences on consumption behaviour ................................................ 21 3.6 Types of consumers ................................................................................................... 22 4 Food and drink �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 24 4.1 Trends in consumption ............................................................................................... 24 4.2 Life‑cycle environmental impacts of food and drink ........................................................ 24 4.3 Food and drink outlooks and scenarios ......................................................................... 27 4.4 Responses ............................................................................................................... 28 5 Housing ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 30 5.1 Trends in consumption ............................................................................................... 30 5.2 Life‑cycle environmental impacts of housing ................................................................. 32 5.3 Housing outlooks and scenarios ................................................................................... 33 5.4 Responses ............................................................................................................... 33 6 Mobility ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 36 6.1 Trends in mobility demand and modal split ................................................................... 36 6.2 Life‑cycle environmental impacts of mobility ................................................................. 37 6.3 Mobility outlooks and scenarios ................................................................................... 39 6.4 Responses ................................................................................................................ 39 7 Tourism ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 41 7.1 Trends in consumption ............................................................................................... 41 7.2 Life‑cycle environmental impacts of tourism .................................................................. 41 7.3 Tourism outlooks and scenarios ................................................................................... 42 7.4 Responses ............................................................................................................... 43 8 Concluding reflections: consumption, environmental priorities and policies ����������� 45 8.1 Consumption and current environmental policies ........................................................... 45 8.2 Consumption and management of natural capital and ecosystem services ......................... 46 8.3 Consumption and integration of environmental considerations across policy domains .......... 47 8.4 The role of consumption in greening the economy ......................................................... 47 8.5 The triangle of change — the role of different actors on the road to greening the economy .... 49 References ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 51 The European environment | State and outlook 2010 3 Thematic assessment | Consumption and the environment Summary The consumption of goods and services in EEA member countries is a major driver of global resource use — and associated environmental impacts. Growth in global trade is resulting in an increasing share of environmental pressures and impacts from European consumption taking place beyond Europe. Food and drink, housing, mobility and tourism are responsible for a large part of the pressures and impacts caused by consumption in the EU. Achieving significant reductions in environmental pressures and impacts will require changing private and public consumption patterns, to supplement gains achieved through better technology and improved production processes. Drivers and