Sufficiency is the anti-thesis to the dominant orientation towards getting ever “more, further and faster”. Often treated as a lifestyle issue for the better-off, it essentially requires (1) a fundamental policy change to offering new opportunity spaces, from advertisement- and commerce free spaces via repairable design to reverting work intensification, and (2) a change in societal standards and behavioural norms, in acceptance and acceptability, and only as a last point voluntary individual behavioural change. With its intrinsic links to environment, social and labour policy, it can be a bridge concept for popularising degrowth. However, communicative and conceptual challenges need to be addressed.

Given this broad approach the session will touch upon issues cross-cutting different conference subcategories, with a rimary focus on work, consumption and advertising, social limits of growth, well-being and good life, and a secondary focus on infrastructure/cities, transport, mobility, commons, social enterprises, cooperatives and the solidarity economy.

The presentations will be:

Sufficiency policy: Prof. Dr. Angelika Zahrnt

The challenges of sufficiency communication: Anja Humburg MA

Sufficiency and the future of labour, a contribution to socially sustainable degrowth: Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg

Sufficiency, Technology, Degrowth and Happiness : Prof. Dr. Felix Ekardt

This media entry was a contribution to the special session „Sufficiency Policy for Sustainable Degrowth“ at the 5th International Degrowth Conference in Budapest in 2016.