The appetite of western cultures for ever more extravagance in material lifestyles may be on the decline ? This is a viewpoint expressed by a high ranking business executive, seated in a global giant.

Steve Howard is Head of Sustainability at IKEA, the Swedish home furnishing superstore, and in speaking to the Guardian newspaper in January 2016 he stated;

“If we look on a global basis, in the west we have probably hit peak stuff. We talk about peak oil. I’d say we’ve hit peak red meat, peak sugar, peak stuff … peak home furnishings,”

It’s an interesting view from the top at a time when there are increasing pressures in our society to change course. The post war economic model is becoming a rather boring story of conglomeration and stock markets. Fortunes are made by a few, but what about the quality of life of the vast majority of us. Is this measured in “peak stuff”? Continue reading →