A Climate-Adapted Lifestyle Must Also Be Sustainable – Report from the BCSDH Communications Working Group Meeting

How willing are consumers to change their habits for a 1.5-degree lifestyle? Would people be more likely to give up meat or their car? Are there values strong enough to drive a shift in attitudes? How is the current difficult economic situation affecting the market for sustainable consumer goods? Can we achieve our goals without a sustainable lifestyle and individual action? Are climate adaptation and sustainable living compatible?

Following her presentation on the results of the 1.5-Degree Lifestyle Project, Edina Vadovics, Executive Director of the GreenDependent Institute, engaged in a discussion with Márk Maczelka, Head of Communications at SPAR Hungary, and Zsuzsa Károlyi, Head of Brand and Marketing at E.ON, moderated by Irén Márta. The conversation explored the above questions, as well as the topic of sustainable and resilient lifestyles, their challenges, the current situation, and the road ahead. At the working group meeting held on March 12, 2025, participants were welcomed by Olivér Martin, Group Head of Internal Audit and Compliance at Szentkirályi Hungary, who acted as host. Nikolett Van der Wildt, Sustainability and PR Manager, gave a presentation on the company’s sustainability achievements.

Research from the 1.5-Degree Lifestyle Project reveals that if the top 10% of earners in society were to take visible steps toward a more sustainable lifestyle, mitigating climate change could become a realistic goal. The decarbonization of industry alone will not be sufficient — individual and household-level action, as well as systemic change, are also necessary.Technological investments and lifestyle changes that require only minor adjustments are generally more accepted. However, much more drastic action is needed to achieve meaningful climate impact.
There is also potential for shifts in attitudes.

The roundtable discussion and the informal dialogue that followed revealed that existential concerns often override sustainable purchasing decisions — but we must not give up. An individual — or even a company — can act as a nano-scale catalyst that steers processes in the right direction. It is a Sisyphean task, but if everyone moves in the same direction, progress will come. We are halfway to 2050. Much has been done, but even more lies ahead. We must find the right answers. We need to decide where to allocate our resources — where they can have the greatest impact. We must view our products and services through the lens of how they support, or could support, individuals on the path to a sustainable lifestyle.