In any case, without a commensurate increase in output, which ceteris paribus increases environmental impact, labour productivity growth risks increasing unemployment (Spangenberg, 2004). This ‘productivity trap’ (Jackson and Victor, 2011)presents a significant barrier to sustainability transitions, which can only be overcome in one of two ways without increasing unemployment or environmental degradation. One mechanism is reducing average working hours per employee. The other is shifting the structure of the economy toward low-labour productivity sectors. A potential negative consequence of decreased productivity is reduced wages. However, this problem can be overcome by increasing the prices of low-productivity goods and services, which is often acceptable to consumers if these commodities are of higher quality.