A transition phase: reconfiguration

One possible way out of the perceived over-consumption culture is to think in the first instance, perhaps, of a kind of transition phase, not so much in terms of just consuming less, but replacing quantity with quality, not unlike the transition position suggested by Geels et al. (2015). There are potentially difficult transitions to be made from mass production, mass consumption and mass employment to low volume production and consumption of higher value durable goods and consequent employment of people in higher skilled jobs in smaller, more personalized facilities using more labour and creativity-intensive processes. Yet, with regards to consumption at least, there is significant cause to think that such an approach focusing on quality may be viable as it appeals to our basic drives to express ourselves and establish a comfortable position in society.