Identifying common features among household consumption patterns optimized to minimize specific environmental burdens

This study seeks to find common features in a set of simulated Japanese household consumption patterns, each of which was optimized to reduce a particular type of environmental burden. To this end an input–output system comprising some 500 commodity and fixed capital formation sectors was formulated that relates Japanese household consumption of these commodities to the generation of 13 types of environmental burden, clustered in 6 key problem areas. Based on this system a linear programming model was developed and was used to compute a set of 13 household consumption patterns optimized for minimizing each of the environmental burdens in turn. Each of these singly optimized patterns was then characterized as to how it impacts on the magnitude of the other 12 environmental burdens. By examining the commonalties and differences among these optimal patterns, we then classified consumer commodities into 3 types, providing a simple indicator with which to steer towards consumption patterns with less environmental impact than today's.