31/03/2024, 08:51 Are you part of the LOHAS crowd?

| Latest News | The Hindu

What is it | Are you part of

the LOHAS crowd?
LOHAS stands for lifestyles of health and sustainability, a
reference to a group of people culturally bound by the same ethos

May 18, 2021 08:00 am | Updated May 20, 2021 12:07 pm IST

SUNALINI MATHEW

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Shot of sporty young woman serving strawberry smoothie in a glass jar in the kitchen at
home.
An acronym for lifestyles of health and sustainability, LOHAS is a term
used by marketeers to define a category of people who see the link between
the health of the individual with that of the planet. The belief feeds people
being economically and socially responsible. They are willing to spend on
locally grown organic produce; all-natural products in beauty, fashion,
home cleaning; energy efficient appliances; preventive medicine; eco-
tourism; Fairtrade products. They are also willing to forego profits from

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sectors like oil, so are more likely to make ‘green investments’. The lifestyle
taps into the idea of conscious and mindful living.
Research published in 2015 in The Hungarian Journal of Nutrition
Marketing says that while the “strongest influence appears in the food
industry,” it is really across industries that the impact has begun to be
seen. Hence, innovative products — such as banana fibre sanitary pads and
diapers, bamboo toothbrushes, mushroom packaging, cactus leather —
find shelf space.
The segment was first identified in the 1990s by sociologist Paul Ray as a
cultural group. It turned into a consumer group, when the Natural
Marketing Institute gave it the term LOHAS in 2002, says an article
published in the Economics of Sustainable Development in 2019. A further
tapering of LOHAS has been LOVOS: a lifestyle of voluntary simplicity that
follows the less-is-more principle that is against consumerism.
Today, people leading LOHAS usually live in cities, have a higher than
average income, and a university education. While they are invested in the
group through social causes, and care about the environment, they also
practise self-care which makes quality products and services important.
You would associate words like ‘clean products’ or ‘monthly cleanse’ with
them.
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“Most people in India don’t have the bandwidth to think like that. Of the
100 patients I see, maybe three or four fall into this category,” says Pune-
based pulmonologist Dr Sundeep Salvi, who is a part of the Doctors for
Cleaner Air collective. He says that while it may make some difference in
their lives, it is difficult to see a significant health impact because the
system does not support big changes at the personal health level. “Say I
have asthma, and I do as many things as I can to promote my lung health.
But I step out into a polluted environment, where there are diesel buses
plying on the road,” he says.
LOHAS then, is more about a few people trying to move a mountain, and in
the process, gaining muscle strength themselves.

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