The population increase, globalization and the capitalist economic system generated an increase in the consumption of goods and services in excess, which translates into an exaggerated consumerism without the human being experiencing real needs that lead to the consumption of those goods or services. An important factor in this regard is advertising.

This situation is detrimental due to the direct effect on the indiscriminate use of non-renewable resources; and, in turn, the products generate a lot of waste in the production process and at the time of consumption, which without proper disposal causes environmental pollution in all senses. ^{Freire-Vinueza, C., Meneses, K., & Cuesta, G. (2021}) agree that pollution occurs in different ways, such as: heat pollution, odor emanation and residues in the air, solid, liquid and gas, among others.

Our planet has the capacity to withstand the negative effects that affect nature, but it takes a long time to recover; but man degrades it in an exaggerated way, producing a collapse in the environment, as explained by ^{Vilchez and Gil (2009}). Of course, not all countries produce, consume and deteriorate the environment in the same way, nor to the same intensity.

Education for sustainability is an education based on ethics and solidarity; because the actions must be adopted at a social level and permanently. It is based on responsible behavior and prepares the actors to make informed decisions, aimed at achieving sustainable cultural development (^{Delors, 1996}; Cortina et al., 1998; Sachs, 2008).

Various studies have been carried out on consumption, such as the one carried out by ^{Cohen, I. S., Padilla, G. D., Panes, R. G., & Rodríguez, H. M. (2016}), which presents the level of consumption as unsustainable, so measures must be adopted regarding consumption. aimed at reducing and moderating the consumer frenzy today.

The problem of responsible consumption is an extremely important issue in all the countries of the world today, given the large-scale negative impact that man is having on his environment, in addition to the excessive consumption of renewable and non-renewable natural resources; and the large amount of waste associated with production and consumption. Excessive consumerism does not account for the ecological, ethical, supportive and critical consumption necessary for responsible consumption (^{Ortiz de Mendevil, 2012}).

As a result of the study carried out with university students, it has been found that human beings are unable to satisfy their needs even when their income improves. At first, the most basic needs are satisfied; and, if money is scarce, the use of resources becomes more efficient and waste is reduced to a minimum or almost non-existent, so in this situation we would be approaching the definition of a “responsible consumer”, although without have received training in this regard. Of course, here we are only referring to consumption and not to the disposal of waste and waste. On the other hand, when the educational level increases and so does the income, the needs also increase, in quantity and quality, leading this situation to irresponsible consumption, even if waste and waste are disposed of correctly.

In a short time, great technological advances have been made by and for man, this produces countless waste and residues that are often toxic, and that are not biodegradable or eco-friendly. This problem has not yet been resolved, but it is directly related to contamination, which is often impossible to correct.

University students demonstrate a good level of awareness regarding responsible consumption; but, it is necessary to create social awareness to acquire responsible purchasing habits. In addition, advertising has a notorious and conscious influence on buyers, as evidenced by young university students.

The university students surveyed acknowledge that they put into practice the “5R” rule of recycling (reduce, reuse, replace, recover and recycle), even consciously or automatically. Also, the origin of the product does not have a very noticeable incidence when buying a good; On the other hand, the attribute “price” significantly influences the moment of acquiring it.

It is recommended to reinforce the good practices undertaken from the university to improve the habit of responsible and conscious consumption in young university students, such as: including the subject of responsible consumption within the contents of the subjects.

Responsible consumption must be practiced by all of society, and not only by those with high income levels, who actually consume the most.