"Consuming smarter goes only so far. We also have to consume less of just about everything," Marc Gunther writes in his piece titled "Sustainable Consumption: Opportunity or Oxymoron?"

It's an important distinction to make, since consuming smarter only sometimes includes consuming less. In his post, Gunther touches on how some companies are communicating messages along those lines to people and their customers. 

In addition to giving advice and encouragement for living with a lower impact on the world, another area in which companies are working on their communications with others is in talking about what they are doing to shrink their own footprints.

As Frito-Lay's SunChips brand found out recently, though, sometimes it doesn't matter how well you communicate what you do, depending on the actual effect on customers. When SunChips launched its compostable chip bags, it knew the bags were clearly louder than other bags on shelves, and they even used that as a selling point with large, bold messaging on the front of bags. Nevertheless, a customer backlash continues against the volume of the bags, irrespective of what they are made of.

 This report investigates the economic pressures facing independent cafés and sandwich bars which often forces social justice, sustainability and health off the menu.

 This survey looks at how environmental concerns are changing consumer purchases of plastic, glass and aluminum beverage packaging.

Join Scot Case and ISSP for this workshop to learn about exciting ways that people are using the power of corporate/government purchasing to reduce costs and drive environmental and social innovation!