“Many Lithuanians buy completely unnecessary items that they never use, but when they buy one or another product, they experience a conflict of green values when they have to decide whether to buy an environmentally friendly product or a less sustainable alternative. Meanwhile, long-term sustainable consumption behaviour is determined by the knowledge that each of us, as consumers, contributes to pollution and leaves an ecological footprint,” says Dr. Aušra Rūtelionė, Associate Professor at KTU Aušra Rūtelionė.
Lack of consumer skills
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, in 2021, there were 479 kg of municipal waste per person in Lithuania. This amount is not just product packaging: it also includes unconsumed foodstuffs and discarded items that are not fit for purpose. In 2020, the per capita amount was 483 kg.
Dr Beata Šeinauskienė, an associate professor researching the causes and consequences of consumer materialism, says that there is a very big gap between attitudes and behaviours towards sustainable consumption.
“It is far from pleasant to realise that you are a spendthrift whose materialistic desires harm the environment. And it is only when faced with the consequences of the environmental damage caused by indiscriminate consumption that one begins to realise one’s personal contribution. We know too little about the damage caused by indiscriminate consumption,” she points out, highlighting the lack of examples in today’s consumerist context.
Consumption can be managed
According to Prof. Rosita Lekavičienė, consumers with high emotional intelligence are able to recognise, understand and manage emotions to avoid compulsive buying.
“Even in stressful situations, it is possible to remain calm, not lose balance and not succumb to consumer stimulus. Materialists and people with lower emotional intelligence are more vulnerable and react more emotionally. Emotionally mature consumers, when faced with an impulsive urge to consume, are able to look at the situation from the side, focus on the opportunity for personal growth and consciously withdraw, based on the principle that more stuff won’t bring happiness, and that there are far more important things in the world than the stuff we have,” says researcher R. Lekavičienė.
Motivation, ideology, and worldview play an enormous role in meeting the challenge of mindless consumption. It is much easier to make a change together with like-minded people who share the same goals. That is why Vilnius, together with 12 cities around the world – Dublin, Milan, Lahti, Izmir, Linz, Grenoble and others – invites everyone to become part of a community of climate change citizens. One way is to download the Climate Campaigners app on your mobile phone and take part in various challenges, such as giving up car travel for a while, trying to live plastic-free for a week, or not buying durable goods for a month. After each challenge, app users are awarded points that can be exchanged for prizes.
