The Shift from Consumer Protection to Consumer Empowerment and the Consequences for Sustainable Consumption

Abstract

The rise of consumerism in the second half of the twentieth century brought the need to protect consumers, a phenomenon reflected in most legal traditions predominantly through private law approaches. Yet, by the end of the century, consumers had themselves become a threat because of the environmental footprint of their com- bined choices. Now legal systems struggled to find solutions, largely because curtailing consumption is politically delicate. Over time, however, a wide range of techniques has been developed to bring consumption to more sustainable levels. Until now, these techniques have remained scattered across different areas of law, with the resulting challenge for anyone interested in their forms and operation. This volume addresses this challenge by providing a comprehensive survey of the legal techniques developed to pursue more sustainable levels of consumption. The editors and contributors should be praised for offering such a comprehensive and timely account of this strategically important legal development.