We, Elisa, Laura, Eva, and Wilma, are so excited to be sharing about our journey with consumerism and how it led to creating ConsOption.
Our journey
When we first came together and started talking about our interest for minimalism, we talked a lot about having and buying 'stuff'. To make us more aware of all the random things we buy every day, we agreed to all note down what we bought and when over the span of a month, with as rule not to judge ourselves for the amount of things, but really just to make ourselves aware of how many things we buy.
It proved to be a real challenge for us. Even though we had agreed to not judge ourselves or change our consumer pattern, it was really confronting to have to write down everything we bought.
This was how we started off looking into overconsumption and if minimalism could be a good approach to deal with the issue.
Throughout our value creator journey, we have consulted and collaborated with different professional members of the networks involved in the topic of overconsumption and minimalism. From these conversations, we came to the conclusion that practices to deal with overconsumption are not implemented enough just yet. Most companies and individuals have already learned a lot about being more sustainable and ways to go ‘greener’, however, not many are working on simply buying and consuming less.
It was at this phase we found out that a platform, such as we want to create it, cannot yet be found. This is where we came to the idea of ConsOption. To make a change together and show one another that we are not alone in our struggles. We all just need some help and why not help each other with it? ConsOption is not about showing one good way to change consumer patterns but bring all the different ideas together and co-create a better world. We worked hard to create an inclusive and accessible community platform that will provide the user with networking opportunities and in-depth knowledge on the topic of overconsumption.
How did we create value?
As our final product is a mock-up of the ConsOption website, the implementation of the actual website is needed to add value. An option to achieve this is that ConsOption will be entirely taken over by one of the stakeholders. Once the website goes live, it will continue to evolve since it is a living platform, meaning that the data is up to date, and people can gather online and share their experiences or their views on how to fight overconsumption.
Click on the link to visit our final product, a mock-up website for ConsOption: