Current digital business models create incentives to increase consumption and therefore run counter to sustainable development objectives. To date, European Union platform regulation initiatives do not systematically address this challenge.
In this context, Dr. Otmar Lell, project manager at ConPolicy, and Dr. Maike Gossen, research associate at the Department of Social-Ecological Transformation and Sustainable Digitalization at the Technical University of Berlin, investigated the impact of digital platforms on consumer interests and sustainability objectives.
In a forum contribution to the journal GAIA, they propose a systemic policy approach with the introduction of positive accountability to ensure that digital platforms steer their impact on consumer interests and sustainable development objectives in a positive direction and thus support sustainable consumption in the digital age.
The forum paper is available for download as an open access publication here.