Section 1 Green consumption is the general trend of contemporary consumption development
1. The connotation of green consumption
Green is a hopeful color, which represents life, health and vitality, the harmony between human life and nature, and a healthy and beautiful environment. The so-called green consumption refers to all kinds of consumption behaviors and consumption patterns that aim at protecting consumers' health and meet the standards of human health and environmental protection. Specifically, green consumption should include health and safety, energy conservation and environmental protection, sustainable development and other key points.
2. The emergence of green consumption
The emergence of green consumption should begin with the development of human economy. The development of human economy is essentially a process of material transformation with the earth's natural system. Humans constantly obtain material information from nature to meet their own needs, and then constantly discharge waste into nature, which is transformed into natural materials again through the "purification" of nature. Since its appearance, human beings have been constantly obtaining material information from nature and gradually accumulating it, and finally reached today's great material civilization. Without natural resources, the development of human society, economy and civilization is incredible.
However, natural resources are not infinite. The process of material transformation between man and nature must be based on balance. On the one hand, to obtain material information from nature, human beings should take the reproduction capacity of nature as the premise. Many natural resources are non-renewable, so we can't run out too quickly. On the other hand, human beings should also rely on the "purification" ability of nature to return emissions to nature, otherwise, it will only pollute the environment. Due to the excessive exploitation of human beings, this imbalance is constantly emerging. In Das Kapital, Marx once pointed out that when talking about the influence of capitalist big industry and the development of cities, big industry "on the one hand gathered the historical motive force of society, on the other hand destroyed the material transformation between people and land, … thus destroying the eternal natural conditions of lasting and fertile land." [1] Now this situation is really serious to people, and people have to consider their own behavior. It's time to change.
People finally began to wake up, and the concept of "green" gradually formed. 1962, Rachel Carson, an American marine biologist, published the book Silent Spring after four years' investigation on the environmental hazards caused by the use of chemical pesticides. In this book, Carson expounds the pollution of pesticides to the environment, analyzes the harm of these chemical pesticides to the ecosystem on which human beings depend, and points out that drinking poison to quench thirst is tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst, and human beings should take a "different road". 1968 In March, W.S. Gundam, Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, delivered a speech on "Green Revolution-Achievements and Worries" at the annual international development conference, and put forward the concept of "Green Revolution" for the first time. Since then, the word "green" has appeared more and more in front of people. 197 1 year, Canadian engineer David Mactaggart initiated the establishment of Greenpeace. 1972, the club of Rome put forward "the limit of growth", and the report reminded the world of the finiteness of resources and the destruction of the earth's environment. In the future, more and more people realize that human beings should coordinate with the natural environment and social environment, seek the coordinated and healthy development of ecology, energy and population, and establish a "green civilization" that is harmonious with nature and has a beautiful environment. "Green consumption" was put forward in this "green movement".
3. Green consumption is becoming a new fashion that people are pursuing.
1the first world summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 adopted the 2 1 agenda, which is the blueprint for realizing sustainable development in the 2/kloc-0 century. Agenda 2 1 Century puts forward a comprehensive program of action, calling for sustainable development at global, national and local levels and unified handling of environmental development issues. The meeting also issued the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, which specified the principles of national rights and obligations. Agenda 265438+ of the 20th century brings environmental, economic and social issues into a unified policy framework, which is of epoch-making significance. 2 1 Century Agenda puts forward the category of sustainable consumption. 1994, the United Nations Environment Programme published the report "Policy Factors of Sustainable Consumption". The definition of sustainable consumption is: "To provide services and related products to meet the basic needs of human beings, improve the quality of life, minimize the use of natural resources and toxic substances, and minimize the waste and pollutants generated during the life cycle of services or products, so as not to endanger the needs of future generations." It can be seen that green consumption has been included in the category of sustainable consumption.
In the past two or three decades, green consumption has rapidly become a new fashion pursued by people all over the world. According to relevant poll statistics, 77% of Americans said that the green image of enterprises and products will affect their purchasing desire; 94% German consumers will consider environmental protection when shopping in supermarkets; In Sweden, 85% consumers are willing to pay higher prices for environmental cleanliness; 80% consumers in Canada are more willing to pay 10% more for environmentally friendly products. Japanese consumers are even better, and "green" is the selection standard for ordinary drinking water and air. The wave of "green revolution" is constantly rising, and a large number of green goods have emerged. Green clothes and green products have become very popular in many countries. Switzerland introduced "environmental protection clothing" as early as 1994, the Spanish Fashion Design Center has already introduced "ecological fashion", the United States has long had "green computers" and France has long developed "environmental protection TV sets". Green furniture and ecological cosmetics have also entered the world market; All kinds of green cars are entering the expressway; Green houses built with wood or new ecological building materials have also appeared. In a word, green consumption has penetrated into all fields of people's consumption and occupied an increasingly important position in daily consumption.
Section 2 Cultivating Green Consumption Environment
Environment is the foundation of human existence. The problem of green consumption is firstly an environmental problem. When the environment is good and pollution is eradicated, it will naturally be easy to realize green consumption.
1. Definition of green consumption environment
Green consumption environment refers to the natural environment and living environment that is free from man-made destruction and pollution, is in harmony with human production and life, and is suitable for human sustainable development, which is embodied in the aspects of atmosphere, water quality, soil, vegetation and biology, and is suitable for the development of human production and life. As far as the natural environment is concerned, it is originally "green". Today's environmental problems are completely caused by inappropriate human behavior. Therefore, the establishment of a green consumption environment is not so much "establishment" as to restore the destroyed ecological balance, restore vegetation, dredge rivers, eliminate pollution, make mountains green and water blue.
According to the scope of the environment, the consumption environment can be divided into three levels, namely, the global macro consumption environment; Consumption environment of cities, market towns and communities; Micro-consumption environment of family residence. In addition to similarity, these three levels of environmental pollution have different characteristics. Therefore, the establishment of a green consumption environment, each level has a different focus.
First, from the overall perspective of the earth, that is, from a macro perspective, it is mainly manifested in the impact on the overall environment such as atmosphere, water and climate. Therefore, establishing a green consumption environment at the macro level means that human beings should gradually reduce the negative impact on the earth's environment by changing production and consumption patterns and following the requirements of objective laws, so as to gradually alleviate the problems of climate anomalies and the increase of natural disasters and gradually improve environmental pollution.
Secondly, from the meso level, the cultivation of green consumption environment in towns and communities is mainly to eliminate pollution in the region, give people a clean and hygienic living environment and improve the environmental quality of people's work and life.
Third, from the micro level, that is, from the perspective of people's living conditions, it is necessary to build green houses to make residents healthier and families happier.
2. The principle of cultivating green consumption environment-5R principle
(1) Save resources and reduce pollution.
The resources of the earth and its pollution capacity are limited, so the consumption pattern must be limited to the range that the ecological environment can bear. Therefore, we must control consumption to reduce consumption, waste discharge and pollution. One of the most urgent is:
Save water. 70% of the earth's surface is covered with water, which is about 654.38+0.4 trillion cubic meters, but 96.5% of it is seawater. Although the rest is fresh water, more than half of it is water resources that can be directly used, such as ice, rivers and lakes, accounting for only a very small part of the whole water volume. Water is a precious resource and cannot be wasted. Secondly, it is necessary to reduce wastewater discharge. Wastewater management should be strengthened, and industrial wastewater and urban sewage should be treated in time to prevent direct discharge into natural water bodies. In addition to water, air pollution should also be taken seriously to reduce exhaust emissions. Air pollution mainly comes from smoke and dust produced by coal burning, automobile and motor vehicle exhaust. Control measures shall be taken to prevent the manufacture, sale and import of automobiles whose pollutant emission exceeds the emission standards prescribed by the state.
(2) Green consumption and environmental protection (re-evaluation)
Every consumer should evaluate and buy goods from the perspective of environmental protection, and investigate whether the products will cause environmental pollution in the production process. Consumers use their own "currency tickets" to see which products meet the requirements of environmental protection, so they will buy which products and which products do not meet the requirements of environmental protection, so they will not buy them, and at the same time mobilize others not to buy them, which will gradually be eliminated or forced to switch to green products that meet the requirements of environmental protection. So as to correctly guide producers and sellers to the road of sustainable development.
(3) reuse, reuse.
In order to save resources and reduce pollution, we should use more durable goods and advocate the reuse of goods. Since the 1980s, disposable articles have become all the rage, such as disposable chopsticks, disposable packaging bags, disposable toothbrushes and disposable tableware. Disposable articles have brought people temporary convenience, but they have brought a high price to the ecological environment. In developed countries, the once popular "one-time use" trend is becoming history. Many people go out with reusable shopping bags and refuse to abuse non-degradable plastic products; Many hotels no longer provide disposable toothbrushes, and encourage guests to bring their own toothbrushes to reduce the environmental disaster caused by "disposable use". China should learn from the advanced experience of developed countries, carry forward the fine tradition of hard work and plain living of the Chinese nation, and cherish resources.
(4) Garbage classification and recycling.
Garbage is an inevitable product of human production and life. Human beings make garbage every day, which is mixed with various harmful substances. With the expansion of the city, the scale of garbage production is getting bigger and bigger, and the task of garbage disposal is getting heavier and heavier. The existing method is landfill, but this method occupies land and pollutes the environment, which is not a long-term solution. Garbage sorting and recycling can turn waste into treasure, which not only reduces environmental pollution, but also increases economic resources.
(5) Save species and protect nature.
On the earth, ecology is a big system, and all kinds of animals and plants depend on each other to form an invisible biological chain. The extinction of any species will affect the balance of the whole biological chain. Man is the tallest animal on the earth, but in essence he is only a link in the biological chain. The survival of human beings depends on the survival of other creatures. Therefore, protecting biodiversity means protecting human beings themselves. Humans should cherish trees and wild animals and rebuild the destroyed ecological environment.
3. Ways to build a green consumption environment
(1) Improve the construction of environmental protection laws and regulations and scientifically formulate environmental protection policies and plans;
(2) Producers must establish environmental awareness and strive to achieve green production;
(3) Consumers must strengthen their awareness of environmental protection and strive to achieve green consumption;
(4) Create green consumption culture and advocate green civilization.
Section III: Developing Green Products and Green Industries
Developing green industry and green products is the material basis of green consumption. In order to promote green consumption, we must establish a strong green industrial base and produce rich green products for people to consume.
1. Definition of green products and green industries
(1) What is a green product?
"Green products" refer to products that have no or little environmental pollution with the products themselves in the production process, and products and services that meet the requirements of protecting the ecological environment or social environment better than traditional competitive products. Green products cover a wide range, including food, washing products, motor vehicles, lighting, household appliances, clothing, building materials, cosmetics, dyes and other pollution-free, harmless and recyclable products. Among the green products, the most concerned is green food. Green food production is subject to quality control from land to dining table. Through prenatal environmental monitoring and raw material testing; The implementation of specific production and processing procedures in the intermediate stage and the control of product quality, hygiene index, packaging, preservation, transportation, storage and sales in the postpartum stage ensure the quality of green food and improve the technical content of the whole production process. Real green food should have a green food logo.
Internationally, green food or similar food is called organic food in English-speaking countries, ecological food in non-English-speaking countries such as Finland and Sweden, and natural food in Japan. From a scientific point of view, green food and organic food are two different "green" concepts. Organic food is a more advanced "green food" than green food, which refers to all agricultural and sideline products, including grain, vegetables, fruits, dairy products, livestock products, honey, aquatic products and condiments. , which comes from the organic agricultural production system, is produced and processed according to international organic agricultural production standards, and has been certified by an independent organic food certification body. In addition to organic food, there are organic cosmetics, textiles, forest products, biological pesticides, organic fertilizers and so on. They are collectively called organic products.
Starting from 1996, the above two kinds of green foods are classified into Grade A and Grade AA, among which Grade AA green foods completely meet the international standards, that is, organic foods, and all the standards meet or are stricter than those of similar international foods. AA-grade green food refers to the products whose ecological environment quality meets the specified standards, which are produced and processed according to specific production operation procedures, without using any harmful chemical synthetic substances, and whose product quality and packaging meet the specific standards after testing and inspection, and are approved by specialized agencies to use the AA-grade green food mark. A-grade green food refers to the products whose ecological environment quality meets the specified standards, limited chemical synthetic substances are allowed to be used in the production process, which are produced and processed according to specific production operation procedures. After testing, the product quality and packaging meet specific standards, and the A-grade green food logo is approved by specialized agencies.
It should be pointed out that green food is different from natural food. "Green food" countries have strict production standards, and "pure natural" is not necessarily "green" or the best.
(2) the production of green products
The production of green products has strict technical requirements. Is to produce according to the requirements of green standards. From the design stage, we should start with "green": the first link is design. Green products require excellent product quality and environmental behavior. The second link is the production process. It is required to realize no waste, less waste, comprehensive utilization and clean production process. The third link is the quality of the product itself. Compared with ordinary products, it embodies people-oriented and improves comfort, health and environmental protection. The fourth link is that waste is easy to handle. If the biodegradability of products is required, the biodegradability of plastics, lubricating oil, washing liquid and other products is one of the quality indicators; For another example, enterprises should establish a system of recycling and effective disposal of their products, and the recycling and disposal of disposable tableware, various packaging, scrapped cars and computer parts will become the assessment indicators.
As for the production of organic products, the requirements are even stricter. According to the basic requirements of processing trade of organic products, the production of organic products must be carried out according to the following five links: raw materials must come from organic certified products and wild (natural) products; The proportion of raw materials with organic certification in the final product is not less than 95%; Only natural auxiliary materials such as seasonings, pigments and spices and substances allowed in OFDC organic certification standards are allowed, and synthetic additives are not allowed; Pollution should be avoided in the production, processing, storage and transportation of organic products; The whole processing trade process must be fully documented, including the corresponding bills.
(3) Green industry refers to an industrial system that follows the laws of nature and ecological principles in the production process, adopts sustainable production technology in accordance with the requirements of international standardized product technical specifications, coordinates the relationship between production and environmental protection, and has the characteristics of health, safety, resource conservation and environmental protection to achieve sustainable development.
Green industry in a broad sense includes: all primary, secondary and tertiary industries; Green industries in a narrow sense include: food crops, animal husbandry, aquatic products, fruits, deep processing of food, beverages, food packaging, pollution-free agricultural means of production and other daily necessities for human beings. In order to highlight that green products come from the best ecological environment, it is also called "green industry project". "Green Industry Project" is no longer an industry in the traditional sense, but a grand systematic project integrating scientific research, environmental protection, agriculture and forestry, water conservancy, food processing, food packaging and related industries. It belongs to high-tech industry and has a very broad development prospect.
2. The significance of green product certification
(1) is conducive to strengthening quality management, improving enterprise efficiency, enhancing customer confidence and expanding market share;
(2) Passing the certification is equivalent to obtaining a "passport" for international trade, which is conducive to eliminating international trade barriers;
(3) Certified products can greatly improve the competitiveness of products;
(4) Certified products can save the energy and cost of second-party audit, effectively avoid product liability and better promote international economic cooperation and technical exchanges.
3. How to develop green industries
(1) Establish green consciousness;
(2) Establish a production base for green products;
(3) Strengthen the development of green products;
(4) Establish a green brand;
(5) Improve the export earning capacity of green products.
The fourth quarter to establish a green marketing system
Green marketing is an indispensable condition for green consumption, and it will gradually become an important link between green industry and green consumption.
1. The definition of green marketing
The so-called "green" marketing means that enterprises carry out the basic requirements of "sustainable development" from a series of business activities such as market research, product development and sales, after-sales service, fully embody the awareness of environmental protection, provide consumers with scientific and pollution-free goods and services, protect and improve the ecological environment and social environment through marketing, and ensure the safety, hygiene and convenience of consumers' use of products, thus improving people's quality of life and optimizing mankind.
To implement the green marketing strategy, we need to implement the "5R" management principle. The "5R" management principle here refers to research: paying attention to the countermeasures of enterprises to environmental pollution; Reduce: reduce or eliminate the discharge of hazardous waste; Recycling: recycling and reusing waste materials; Redevelopment: turn ordinary products into green products; Reserve: actively participate in environmental protection activities in the community and establish environmental awareness. It is urgent to develop green marketing in China. Implementing green marketing is not only the general trend of sustainable development and green consumption, but also the general trend of international marketing strategy. In this regard, China enterprises should have a clear understanding and actively put it into action.
2. The significance of developing green marketing
(1) can provide consumers with more and better green consumer goods and better meet their green consumption needs;
(2) It can reduce pollution and improve the comprehensive utilization rate of resources, which is beneficial to the optimization and sustainable development of the environment;
(three) to improve the corporate image, enhance the competitiveness of products, improve economic efficiency;
(4) Optimize China's industrial structure and improve the export earning capacity of products.