In recent years, citizens are using their purchasing power to voice criticism on governmental actions by boycotting or buycotting (boosting purchases) of specific products in order to make a statement. When it comes to sustainable consumerism, for every individual the notion of sustainable consumption may be different, and no collective overall understanding might be found. On the contrary, certain individual actions of the individual might fit together, even though their understanding of sustainable consumption differs.
The ASSET project boosts collective consumerism by empowering the articulation of the individual.
ASSET emphasizes the power of collective purchase decisions, which originate by independent literate choices of the individual. ASSET shows that literate choices are not in vain, that there are lots of people who think the same and that their collective action does make a difference. This process generates collective awareness and facilitates sustainable consumption.
Collective Awareness and Sustainable Consumption
Within field tests, we involve existing communities of user. Doing so, we demonstrate how the new form of political consumerism forms a community, how it educates people and how it multiplies. Simply put, we demonstrate the formation of collective awareness and thereby facilitate sustainable consumption.
We scientifically investigate the pioneering approach, and provide better understanding of the processes of collective awareness. We study the outcome of the ASSET consumerism on how it affects retailers and users. The consequences of ASSET consumerism are not only monetarily addressing retailers and producers but also by raising awareness for their assets which address sustainability. Retailers and producers are encouraged to address qualities which go beyond GDP, such as social working conditions or showing ambition for a fairer economy.
