Sustainable Consumption & Production
Sustainable consumption and production, as defined by the Oslo Symposium in 1994, refers to “the use of services and related products, which respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life while minimizing the use of natural resources and toxic materials as well as the emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle of the service or product so as not to jeopardize the needs of future generations.” Humans are currently consuming more resources than ever, exceeding the planet’s capacity for generation. In the meantime, waste and pollution grow, and the gap between rich and poor is widening. Thus, sustainable consumption and production is about doing more and better with less. It is about systemic change, decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation, and applying a life cycle thinking approach.
Events and Articles
Showing 11 - 20 of 74 results
2nd Meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on a Science-Policy Panel to Contribute Further to the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste and to Prevent Pollution
Delegates worked to develop proposals for the establishment of the science-policy panel to contribute to the sound management of chemicals and waste, and the prevention of pollution. Discussions focused on: scope, functions, operating principles, and conflict of interest; institutional arrangements and relationships with key stakeholders; and work-related processes and procedures.
A Just Transition Work Programme with the Trade Unions Delivering Climate Justice
Representatives of trade unions, workers, and youth called for solidarity between climate and labor movements to achieve a just transition and combat the climate crisis. This event stressed basic rights – labor, energy, food, and others – at stake in the push for climate and social justice.
UN-SPBF at COP 28
At COP 28, the UN’s fastest growing multi-sector convening platform on the environment will bring together decision makers to focus on technology, partnerships, and integrated solutions for nature.
3rd Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Develop an International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution, Including in the Marine Environment (INC-3)
As concerns about the scourge of plastic pollution mount worldwide, delegates shared their views on the “full life cycle of plastic,” with some favoring measures addressing plastic production, and others favoring downstream measures to eliminate plastic waste. Still others focused on how best to ensure lasting design standards for plastic products.
19th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF)
Amid a global surge in demand for energy transition minerals, the meeting focused on the unprecedented opportunity to rethink how mining benefits are fairly shared and multiplied.
2nd Regional Session of the UN Science-Policy-Business Forum (UN-SPBF) for Asia and the Pacific Region
This one day meeting, bringing over 150 private sector leaders together with government and civil society, saw lively exchanges on how to advance a green structural transformation in a way that leaves no nation behind. Topics included financing for green infrastructure, coherent policies, circular economy opportunities and digital infrastructure.
High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF 2023)
Participants acknowledged that at the mid-point of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we are offtrack. They called on everyone to rally in the second half to achieve the Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, overcoming the setbacks caused by climate change, conflict, the COVID-19 pandemic, and debt.
2nd Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Develop an International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution, Including in the Marine Environment (INC-2)
While the meeting was characterized by procedural scuffles, long delays, and late nights, delegates shared views on an options paper and set out a path for the intersessional period leading to the next negotiating session, mandating the preparation of a “zero draft” of the new treaty to address plastics pollution.
1st Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-1)
While most delegations seem to agree that there are negative effects surrounding plastic pollution, it was clear they have yet to find common ground on the details and contents of key substantive themes that will determine the scope and guide the implementation of the future international treaty.
18th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF)
A concerted effort to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement would require a quadrupling of critical mineral requirements for clean energy technologies by 2040. The mining sector must reposition itself to supply these critical minerals, while ensuring they are extracted and traded in a responsible manner.