Lower consumption – same satisfaction?
How do environmental measures based on “sufficiency”—that is, living well with less—actually affect the user experience? This can be studied using the Sufficiency-LCA method, an extension of conventional life cycle assessment (LCA). Sufficiency-LCA accounts for both environmental impact and how a particular change is perceived by the user, enabling identification of measures with high environmental potential and low impact on user experience, in contrast to those with larger goal conflicts.
Sufficiency-LCA makes it possible to study environmental actions rooted in sufficiency—the idea of “living well with less.” SEED researchers Hampus André and Anna Björklund have examined several measures introduced at STF’s (Swedish tourist association) mountain stations, including simpler meals (to reduce the need for helicopter transport of fresh goods), less meat and dairy in the restaurants, and reduced water use in showers.
The results challenge some common assumptions:
- Reducing meat and dairy products provided significantly greater climate benefits than reducing fresh ingredients to avoid helicopter transport, while the impact on guest satisfaction was similarly small.
- Guest satisfaction remained relatively stable after most measures were introduced, and consistently higher than the level expected by guests beforehand.
“An important contribution is that we don’t just analyze environmental impact, but also how guests experience the changes—a central part of sufficiency. This is crucial for evaluating the measures in practice. Overall, the results suggest that sufficiency measures may be more feasible than often assumed,” says Hampus André.
