Slowing Down the Great Acceleration: Campaigns for Sustainable Consumption in the Netherlands, 1950s–1990s

This chapter explores the rise of sustainable consumption in the Netherlands from the 1950s to the 1990s. Initially driven by social concerns, sustainable consumption evolved to address both social and environmental issues by the 1980s. As the idea of ‘sustainable development’ gained prominence, it could build on a longer history of campaigns promoting sustainable consumption. By the 1990s, sustainable consumption was recognized as both a practice and an idea. At the same time, the limits of what could be achieved through promoting sustainable consumption appear to have been reached. The chapter analyzes the conditions enabling its rise, the motives behind it, and the associated practices, offering insights into barriers to wider adoption and lessons for future campaigns promoting sustainable consumption.