As part of SCP2023, scientists from around the world gathered at the Wageningen campus in the Netherlands from July 5th to 8th, 2023 to share insights on sustainable production and consumption.
ConPolicy, represented by project manager Marlene Münsch, actively contributed to the discourse with a presentation entitled "Lifestyle Minimalism and Decluttering: Helpful or harmful for sustainable consumption? The focus was on the results of the citizen science project "MeinDing!", which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
In her presentation, Marlene Münsch discussed the concept of "voluntary simplicity" in contrast to the current "lifestyle minimalism" and “decluttering”, which are essentially pop-cultural, apolitical concepts focused on individual well-being and aesthetics.
The project examined the effects of decluttering on sufficiency through a longitudinal study. The results show that household size and sufficiency orientation are the key predictors in explaining consumption level. Regarding the long-term effects of decluttering, it was found that people consume significantly less one year after decluttering, but only if they engage in a thorough examination of their possessions. Based on these findings, she formulated conclusions for both research and practice.
For more information on the MeinDing! project, click here.