Business-Managed Democracy

• Introduction

• Green Consumerism
• Problems
  • Misleading Claims
  • More Consumption
  • Bit-Less-Bad Trap
  • Difficult Choices
  • Limited Choice
• Examples
  • GreenWorks
  • Carbon Neutral
  • Procter & Gamble
• Labels
  • Labelling Schemes
  • Limitations
  • Marine Stewardship
  • Rainforest Alliance
  • Forest Stewardship
  • Australian Labels
• Change
  • Changing Fashions
  • Diversion from Change
• References

• Public Relations
• Front Groups

• Wise Use Movement

• Think Tanks

• Global Warming

• SLAPPs

• Media

• Environmentalists


 

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Business-Managed Environment

Limited Choice

The products available to consumers do not necessarily reflect consumer demand. If it is cheaper for a company not to recycle bottles, then they will not. They say that car companies push 'big cars with high compression, high-pollution engines on the American public' because they get the biggest profit from them, not because the public demands them. Moreover, consumers do not get to choose whether a retailer or manufacturer uses rail or road transport to transport their goods.

Another example was given by Patricia Hynes who claimed that in the USA organic food products make up only 4 per cent of the market, although demand would easily be 5 to 10 per cent. She argued that government policies prevented farmers from giving up methods of farming that are highly dependent on agricultural chemicals.

Ian Grayson argued that unnecessary consumption is often forced on people. Our systems of housing and transportation are often premised on private cars and small families. Those who prefer public transport are often severely inconvenienced or do not have a realistic choice about whether or not to buy and use a car.