Lessons on consumption

It is high time to strengthen education on consumption in these times of expanding domestic demands, says an article in People's Daily. The following is an excerpt:

The issue of over-packaging for goods has already aroused widespread public concerns. People generally feel that it wastes resources and harms environment. Government departments launched some campaigns such as the checks on over-packaging for moon-cakes, which achieved some effects. However, over-packaging is still rampant, which prompts us to wonder why it is so hard to be rid of it and how to effectively contain it. From the perspective of economics, the root cause of over-packaging lies in the fact that corporate behavior is based on market demand; as long as the demand exists, enterprises will continue to have the impulse for production. The sweeping campaigns can only be effective for a while, but cannot get at the root. Education campaigns must be carried out to completely solve the problem of over-packaging, leading people to form healthy, civilized and green consuming behavior.

Consumption education refers to an activity that teaches residents consumption knowledge and skills in an organized and designed way in order to help them cultivate scientific consumption concepts and the sense of right protection. Consumption education includes both formal and informal instruction, mainly through the media and society. It can help consumers identify counterfeit commodities, boycott shoddy goods voluntarily and keep off non-environment-friendly products. Meanwhile, it can guide consumers to correctly estimate their own purchasing power and their real demands, and help them have knowledge of legal items to protect their proper rights.