Green Consumption The Global Rise of Eco-Chic

Green lifestyles and ethical consumption have become increasingly popular strategies in moving towards environmentally-friendly societies and combating global poverty. Where previously environmentalists saw excess consumption as central to the problem, green consumerism now places consumption at the heart of the solution. However, ethical and sustainable consumption are also important forms of central to the creation and maintenance of class distinction. Green Consumption scrutinizes the emergent phenomenon of what this book terms eco-chic: a combination of lifestyle politics, environmentalism, spirituality, beauty and health. Eco-chic connects ethical, sustainable and elite consumption. It is increasingly part of the identity kit of certain sections of society, who seek to combine taste and style with care for personal wellness and the environment. This book deals with eco-chic as a set of activities, an ideological framework and a popular marketing strategy, offering a critical examination of its manifestations in both the global North and South.
The diverse case studies presented in this book range from Basque sheep cheese production and Ghanaian Afro-chic hairstyles to Asian tropical spa culture and Dutch fair-trade jewellery initiatives. The authors assess the ways in which eco-chic, with its apparent paradox of consumption and idealism, can make a genuine contribution to solving some of the most pressing problems of our time.

List of FiguresContributorsForewordRichard Wilk, Indiana University, USA1. The Paradoxes of Eco-Chic Bart Barendregt, Leiden University, The Netherlands, and Rivke Jaffe, University of Amsterdam, The NetherlandsPart I : From Production to Consumption2. Adversaries into Partners? Brand Coca-Cola® and the Politics of Consumer-CitizenshipRobert J. Foster, University of Rochester, USA3. Peopling the Practices of Sustainable Consumption: Eco-Chic and the Limits to the Spaces of Intention Raymond L. Bryant and Michael K. Goodman, King’s College London, UK4. Global Gold Connections: Ethical Consumption and the Beauty of Bonding ArtisansSabine Luning, Leiden University, The Netherlands and Marjo De Theije, Vu University Amsterdam, The NetherlandsPart II: Spatialities and Temporalities 5. Marketing the Mountain: The Emergence and Consequences of Eco-chic Practices in the Basque RegionSeth Murray, North Carolina State University, USA and Meredith Welch-Devine,University of Georgia, USA 6. Green is the New Green: Eco-Aesthetics in SingaporeChris Hudson, RMIT University, Australia7. The Caring, Committed Eco-Mom: Consumption Ideals and Lived Realities of Toronto MothersKate Cairns, Kim de Laat, Josée Johnston and Shyon Baumann, University of Toronto, CanadaPart III: Bodies and Beauty8. Afro-Chic: Beauty, Ethics and "Locks Without Dread" in GhanaAnna-Riikka Kauppinen, LSE, UK and Rachel Spronk, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands9. Ital Chic: Rastafari, Resistance and the Politics of Consumption in JamaicaRivke Jaffe, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands10. Tropical Spa Culture and the Face of New Asian BeautyBart Barendregt, Leiden University, The NetherlandsAfterword: From Eco-Chic to Eco-SmartSharon Zukin, CUNY, USANotesBibliographyIndex

Bart Barendregt is Director of Studies at the Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology, Leiden University, the Netherlands.Rivke Jaffe is Assistant Associate Professor at the Centre for Urban Studies, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.