Dialogue of Green Buyers - Ten Principles of the Green Consumer Movement 2001

Dialogue of Green Buyers - Ten Principles of the Green Consumer Movement 2001

Around 2001, the Basic Law for Establishing a Recycling-based Society and the Green Purchasing Law were enacted, and consumer behavior itself came to play a role in environmental policy. The "green consumers" attracted particular attention. They consciously chose to purchase products and services with low environmental impact and tried to influence corporate activities and the market as a whole through their lifestyle choices.

At the time, green consumers in Japan were still only a few percent of the population, far short of the nearly 80% of the population in Germany who preferentially purchase environmentally conscious products. Nevertheless, the support base was steadily growing, and it was expected that the percentage would soon exceed 10%. In the background was the growing environmental awareness of the younger generation and its linkage with civic movements, which attracted attention as a new trend to compensate for the lag in consumer education.

Their action guidelines included the following 10 principles Buy only what you need in the quantities you need, choose long-lasting products rather than disposable ones, give preference to no or minimal packaging, choose products that consume less resources and energy, choose products that cause less environmental pollution and health hazards due to chemicals, choose products that do not harm nature and biodiversity, be aware of local production for local consumption, and Choose products that do not harm nature or biodiversity, are locally produced for local consumption, support products that guarantee a fair share to the producer, use recycled products and systems, and choose manufacturers and stores that disclose environmental information.

Fulfilling all ten principles was not easy, and in reality there were many compromises. Nevertheless, it was believed that each choice would add up and change the values of society. Environmentally conscious consumer behavior sends a silent message to companies to "make sustainable products," and as a result, changes the direction of the entire market. This movement could be called a "quiet dialogue" between consumers and companies, and was an expression of the spirit of the times, which was shifting from a priority on development to an emphasis on the environment.

In 2001, Japan was facing the challenge of concretizing global warming countermeasures domestically after the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol. Environmental awareness had not yet fully penetrated the country, but the green consumer movement supported the budding movement and will be passed down to posterity as a small revolution to change society through consumer behavior.