Public policies on more-sustainable consumption

Abstract

A new middle class has emerged in Brazil thanks to the recent growth of the economy and the government's direct income distribution to the poorest Brazilians. The spread of the consumer culture is now a reality in this rapidly growing economy. More than 31 million consumers who joined the middle class-with an average family monthly income between $530 and $2,120-are now able to make choices in the products and services they buy. Just a few years ago, they were forced to buy only absolutely necessary products and services and at the lowest price possible. As a result of this growth in the middle class, this social group now accounts for 51 percent of total consumption in Brazil.