“If less is more, how you keeping score?” – Towards assessing environmental and well-being outcomes of sufficient consumption

Project leader:
Hampus André

Project period:
2026-2029

Financing:
Formas

Environmental sustainability requires a combination of efficiency - reduced impact per consumption level - and sufficiency, which rather seeks reduced impact through “living well with less” consumption. The project aims to advance a novel approach to the widely used life cycle assessment (LCA) method, Sufficiency-LCA, which unlike conventional LCA can assess the effects of sufficiency. Central to the sufficiency strategy is that reducing consumption does not necessarily lower functional output reaped by consumers in terms of consumer satisfaction, happiness, or well-being. Therefore, Sufficiency-LCA uses a broad selection of such functional output indicators, ultimately addressing which types of consumption we can “live well with less of” while reducing environmental impact.

First, we identify and refine indicators for functional output, ranging from tangible properties (e.g. m2 of housing) to subjective aspects (e.g. effects on happiness from one’s housing). Second, we test these indicators in practical case studies—spanning consumers, businesses, and policymakers—to identify their suitability in each decision-making context. Third, we develop recommendations and guidelines for robust and meaningful assessment in these contexts.

By expanding the scope of LCA to allow for the assessment of sufficiency, this research fills a crucial gap in sustainability science and contributes to global efforts of attaining environmental sustainability and human flourishing.