There are two strategies to reduce the area under the curve:
force the industry to reduce the eco-costs of their products
(this will shift the curve down)
try to influence the buying behaviour (preference) of the consumers,
by making products with low eco-costs more attractive;
the result will be less expenditures at the right side of the
curve and more expenditures at the left side of the curve (this
will shift the middle part of the curve to the right).
Note that simple savings do not work: people tend to spend what
they earn (the savings ratio is below 5% in most countries). In
environmental economics this is referred to as the ‘rebound effect’:
when people save money in one area, they will spend that money in
another area. Examples: when the fuel efficiency of cars is enhanced,
people tend to drive more; when light bulbs are made more efficient,
people tend to apply light bulbs in their gardens. So the essence of
the EVR model is that people must spend their money on products
with low eco-costs, by giving these products a high value.
The question is how designers can contribute to this strategy.
The solution is eco-efficient value creation.