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John Elkington

John Elkington Quotes

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John Elkington, born in 1949 in the United Kingdom, is a renowned author and advocate for sustainable development. His work spans various fields, including business, environment, and corporate social responsibility, and has had a profound impact on the global movement towards sustainability.

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All Thinking Consumers People Products Important Way Behavioral Change Consumerism Hands Play

Famous John Elkington Quotes

“So, you could call me optimistic and hopeful and probably just a little bit naïve, but I'm coming from the space that the best way to predict the future is to get out there and just do it yourself.”

Way Littles Bits Space Little Bit Best Way Optimistic Hopeful Call Me Just Do It Do It Yourself

Author:John Elkington

“What people say often precedes what they think. Some people sometimes say, "I have to hear myself talk before I know what I think." I think language sometimes, because it opens new channels, it opens new doors, is enormously important.”

People Thinking Knows Important Sometimes Language Doors

Author:John Elkington

“I'm worried about greenwashing. I think we should come down on it very, very hard, whether it's with criminal intent or actively deceptive.”

Thinking Should Hard Criminals Worried Deceptive

Author:John Elkington

“I'm part of the consumer culture. I was part of the baby boom generation. I have a car when I shouldn't, a couple of computers; I can't be anti-consumerist in that sense.”

I Can Culture Generations Car Baby Couple Computer Consumers Consumer Culture Baby Boom

Author:John Elkington

“I think that consumerism is intrinsically a pretty flawed social system.”

Thinking Social Consumerism Flawed Social Systems

Author:John Elkington

“I think consumerism breeds dissatisfaction, and I think that the advertisers play to that. So I cannot be comfortable with that. On the other hand, the cornucopia of products and innovation - I love Apple, for example. That's a temple of consumerism in many ways.”

Thinking Way Play Hands Example Products Comfortable Innovation Apples Temples Consumerism Dissatisfaction Advertisers

Author:John Elkington

“Companies watch what consumers are doing like a hawk. Just as one letter to a politician can signal an insipient problem, for companies, a trend where people are beginning to switch away from one of their key products to a rival offering on the basis of either claims or real improvements on performance, that's significant.”

People Real Problem Company Watches Products Keys Politician Letters Performances Bases Claims Improvement Significant Consumers Trends Offering Signals Rivals Hawks

Author:John Elkington

“I think people often underestimate the power of consumers. But I equally say that consumers are like shock troops: You can't keep them agitated and motivated and committed and active forever. There are pulses where they switch on to a particular issue, and just inevitably they switch off.”

People Thinking Forever Issues Particular Committed Active Consumers Shock Motivated Troops Underestimate Pulse

Author:John Elkington

“The biggest weakness of the green-consumer movement, always, is that we tend to pick the easy-to-do things because that's where we can most readily engage people. It doesn't cost them very much to switch products or whatever it happens to be.”

People Happens Easy Movement Products Cost Picks Weakness Green Consumers

Author:John Elkington

“Behavioral change is more important than individual product choices. They both have a role to play.”

Important Play Choices Individual Roles Products Behavioral Change

Author:John Elkington

“I became a vegetarian 55 years ago, and I think it's one of the more important behavioral changes I ever took. The more I see of the beef industry and so on, I believe that to be true.”

Thinking Years Believe Important I Believe Industry Years Ago Being True Vegetarian Beef Behavioral Change

Author:John Elkington

“The path to relative economic, social and ecological sustainability is guaranteed to be littered with failures of every nature and scale. If we recognize them and learn from them, the transition will proceed faster and in more resource-efficient ways. If, on the other hand, we prefer the short-term comfort of burying our failures, or of blaming scapegoats, the transition will be significantly slowed, or could even be derailed completely.”

Ifs Way Hands Social Term Inspiring Path Economic Comfort Resources Blame Scales Faster Transition Relative Efficient Sustainability Short Term Ecological Scapegoat Burying

Author:John Elkington

“Any prudent business looks at the reality and how to maximize our investment.”

Looks Reality Investment Prudent

Author:John Elkington

About the Author

Born: 1949
Known for: Author
Quotes: 13

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