Welcome

This tool which is a collaboration between the Hot or Cool Institute and SCORAI, is designed to help people from all backgrounds make sense of the concepts behind sustainable consumption and lifestyles.

It offers a common language for discussing the intertwined environmental and social challenges we face and for working together on real solutions. Whether you’re a researcher, educator, policymaker, activist, business leader, communicator, or a concerned citizen, this resource can support our collective efforts in the transition to a post- consumer society.

The tool is based on the 2026 book “Vocabulary of Sustainable Consumption and Lifestyles: Language for Our Common Future”, edited by Lewis Akenji, Philip Vergragt, Halina Brown, Tom Smith and Laura Wallnöfer, and featuring contributions from 130+ international authors.

Discover key concepts, definitions, historical background and applications.