Suffizienz

Suffizienz is a concept in sustainability and ethics that designates the idea of enoughness as a guiding principle for consumption and production. It emphasizes meeting human needs and well-being without excess, aiming to reduce overall material throughput, choose modest consumption, and prioritize quality over quantity.

In German-speaking and international debates, suffizienz is often presented alongside efficiency (Effizienz) and consistency (Konsistenz) as a triad for sustainable development. It emerged from concerns about resource limits, climate change, and the rebound effects of efficiency gains, and has gained traction in policy discourse, urban planning, and lifestyle movements.

Key ideas include reducing overall throughput, designing products for durability, repair, and reuse, sharing and collaborative consumption, and redefined notions of well-being that do not equate to higher consumption. Practical expressions include lower energy and resource use in housing and transport, reduced meat consumption, smaller living spaces, longer-lasting goods, and the shift toward the repair and second-hand economy.

Critics argue that suffizienz can face feasibility and equity challenges, risk of underprovision or social backlash, and measurement difficulties, and that structural changes are essential alongside individual choices.

See also: degrowth, post-growth economics, sustainable consumption, efficiency, and consistency.