Consumerism
Critiques of the Business Case
Real or Greenwash?
Hot Takes
100

What company used the “don't buy this jacket” campaign

What is Patagonia?

100

Firms often prioritize this over environmental outcomes.

What is profit?

100

An airline swaps its in-flight magazine for a lighter one. Saves hundreds of thousands in fuel costs annually. Calls it a sustainability initiative.

What is Greenwash?

100

Despite describing an urgent environmental crisis, the paper defines success as “stimulating thinking.” Is this sufficient 

What is not enough?

200

What company says, “Helping the planet, one bite at a time.” and why is this misleading?

What is Quorn?

200

The paper acknowledges that shifting to sustainable industries can impose costs on workers and communities, arguing these must be addressed through this concept rather than market logic.

What is policy intervention?

200

A clothing brand launches a recycled-material line. Same year, total production volume increases by a third. Press release leads with the recycled line.

What is greenwash?

200

This paper has eleven authors at eleven universities. A student says, "Of course they propose a framework that requires more research — that's their job." Is this a conflict of interest?

What is maybe?

300

"Still, there is no evidence to suggest that the expansion of markets for sustainable products is leading to a contraction" of what market?

What are unsustainable products? 

300

The potential positive environmental effects of technological innovations are compromised by __________ in which technology acts as a feedback loop to distorted human behavior, leading to consumption increases that exceed the benefits of improved efficiency.

What is Jevon's Paradox?

300

A fossil fuel company in 2006 is 100% dependent on coal and oil. By 2023 it has cut coal use by 73% and pivoted to offshore wind, taking significant short-term profit hits to do it.

What is Real?

300

The paper endorses degrowth as a strategy while insisting it can be pursued within market logic. What mechanics of capitalism might this interrupt?

What is growth?

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