Challenging Our Assumptions About Consumption
As we continue to push the boundaries of our planet’s ecological limits, a fundamental question emerges: how much do we genuinely need to consume to live well? This question challenges the deep-rooted assumption that progress and well-being are intrinsically tied to ever-growing consumption. The concept of sufficiency offers a profound and necessary response to this dilemma. It invites us to reduce resource demand—energy, materials, land, and water—while safeguarding the well-being of all within planetary boundaries. Far from being a call for sacrifice, sufficiency is about recalibrating priorities, living smarter, and aligning our choices with the earth’s natural limits.
Sufficiency as a Complementary Strategy
Sufficiency is neither a standalone solution nor a replacement for existing strategies. Instead, it complements efficiency, which seeks better outcomes with fewer inputs, and coherence, which ensures that our systems align with natural cycles. Where efficiency focuses on improving our tools, sufficiency compels us to ask a more fundamental question: “Do we need this?” This shift in perspective requires technological innovation and a change in behaviours, values, and societal norms.
" Implementing sufficiency measures could reduce emissions in the building sector by up to 17% by 2050 "
The Construction Sector and the Case for Sufficiency
The construction sector illustrates the urgency of embracing sufficiency. Over the last decade, the average living space per person has increased by more than 20%, significantly amplifying the demand for energy, materials, and land. Today, the building sector accounts for 21% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 50% of the materials extracted worldwide. If this trajectory continues unchecked, the environmental toll will be catastrophic. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that implementing sufficiency measures could reduce emissions in the building sector by up to 17% by 2050. These measures include reducing per-person living space, rehabilitating existing buildings, and prioritising shared spaces over individual ownership.
Stark Realities in Germany and France
Consider the stark realities in countries like Germany and France. In Germany, reducing just one square meter of living space per person could save the equivalent of constructing one million homes. Meanwhile, France faces a paradox: over three million homes sit vacant, while 6.6 million buildings are energy inefficient. Globally, the challenge is even more daunting. By 2060, the world will need to construct the equivalent of a city housing one million people every five days to keep up with demand. The current model of unbridled construction is unsustainable.
" a significant portion of energy waste results from attempting to maintain warm temperatures in large, underutilised spaces "
A Path Forward: Examples of Sufficiency in Action
Sufficiency provides a viable path forward by avoiding unnecessary construction, rehabilitating underutilised spaces, and designing living arrangements that maximize shared resources. A notable example is the Belgian initiative Cohabs, which develops co-living spaces worldwide. By transforming existing housing stock into high-quality shared living spaces, Cohabs fosters community while reducing per capita resource consumption. Their model optimises living space and diversifies resident profiles, ensuring that common areas are collectivised efficiently and inclusively.
Another inspiring case is Slow Heat, an initiative by Geoffrey Van Moeseke in Brussels. Slow Heat challenges the conventional approach to heating by focusing on warming bodies rather than entire volumes of air. Recognising that a significant portion of energy waste results from attempting to maintain warm temperatures in large, underutilised spaces, the initiative explores behavioural strategies and localised heating solutions that are more energy-efficient. Techniques such as heated furniture, personal radiant heating devices, and layered clothing adjustments allow individuals to achieve thermal comfort without excessive energy consumption. By shifting the paradigm from space-based heating to human-centred warmth, Slow Heat demonstrates how sufficiency principles can directly reduce energy demand while maintaining high standards of comfort.
The Role of Public Policy
For sufficiency to become mainstream, it must be embedded in public policy. Governments have the power to create frameworks that encourage sufficiency-oriented practices. One crucial aspect is the redefinition of urban planning and the adaptive reuse of space. Instead of simply repurposing vacant offices or commercial properties into residential spaces, cities must rethink zoning regulations, allowing for more flexible and multi-functional uses of buildings. A more radical shift is required in public procurement and architectural standards. By differentiating between what is essential and what is an accessory, policies can remove constraints that stifle innovative approaches to sufficiency.
This also requires an open-minded review of expectations around aesthetics and comfort, as these social constructs can be reinvented. Recognising that modern expectations of luxury and space have been largely shaped by industrialised overproduction, we must rethink what constitutes a desirable living environment. Through thoughtful policies, urban planning can align with sufficiency principles, fostering a systemic shift toward sustainable resource use while maintaining high living standards.
" sufficiency comes without financial investment."
Champions of Sufficiency
A growing number of thought leaders and organisations champion the journey toward sufficiency. The Exergie podcast, hosted by Francesco Contino, is a valuable resource that explores a wide range of sustainability topics, including sufficiency. Through interviews with experts such as Yamina Saheb, Exergie helps bring nuanced perspectives to the public, emphasising the need to decouple well-being from material overconsumption.
Additionally, the Frugalité Heureuse et Créative movement, co-founded by Philippe Madec, promotes sufficiency as a positive and dynamic architectural approach. Their charter, which remains open for architects to sign, advocates for designing with restraint while maximising value, emphasising the beauty and practicality of minimal-impact architecture. By fostering a cultural shift toward sufficiency, these initiatives pave the way for a future where resource efficiency and social well-being are not mutually exclusive but fundamentally intertwined.
Rethinking Our Relationship with Resources
Sufficiency calls us to rethink our relationship with resources and question modern society’s assumptions. It challenges us to envision a world where well-being is not measured by the size of our homes or the quantity of our possessions but by the quality of our lives and our harmony with the planet. This shift is inevitable if we are to address the twin crises of climate change and resource depletion. The good news is that sufficiency comes without financial investment.