Summary report, 24 February 2024

A major driver for the triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution is the current unsustainable production and consumption patterns by humans: the prevalence of a “take-make-waste” and “grow now, clean-up later” mentality in which populations have thrived at the expense of the environment and its ability to regenerate. According to the Circularity Gap Report 2023, due to increasing material extraction, 93% of materials are either wasted, lost, or unavailable for reuse, with only 7.2% of material recycled back into the economy.

The 10YFP Board and SCP Partners meeting, hosted as an associate event to the sixth session of the biennial UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-6), contributed to the theme of “Effective, inclusive, and sustainable multilateral actions against climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.” In a series of five thematic sessions, the one-day meeting served as a platform for highlighting experiences in the implementation of SCP and circular economy approaches, tools and/or initiatives developed by the 10YFP and its partners in the framework of the Global Strategy for Sustainable Consumption and Production (2022-2030) and the Results Framework & Budget (2023-2024).

During the early morning breakfast session, the 10YFP Secretariat updated Board Members and SCP partners on priority activities included in the Results Framework and Budget for 2023-2024. Amongst the key results achieved in 2023 was the launch of the joint UNEP, UNDP, UNFCCC toolbox “Building Circularity into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)” that is supporting countries to assess, integrate, implement and track circular economy in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Secondly, the 10YFP Secretariat brought to the attention of Board Members the subject of a Global Dialogue on SCP, alongside other strategic events and priorities across 2024 related to SCP. The meeting also agreed to hold the One Planet Network Forum on 12-13 September 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil under the theme “Reducing inequalities and achieving just transitions for all through sustainable consumption and production and circular economy” and also agreed to continue to consider the modalities of the Global Dialogue on SCP mandated by the Global Strategy for Sustainable Consumption and Production (2023-2030) at a virtual meeting scheduled for 18 March, 2024.

The five thematic sessions following the Board Meeting looked at various aspects of the work of the 10YFP:

• Fostering a global movement and commitments for action on SCP and identifying a multilateral and multi-stakeholder dialogue as one of the means to achieve a Global Dialogue on SCP;
• Leveraging digital standards and tools for sustainable consumption and production;
• Mobilizing business commitments to implement SCP and a circular economy, and measuring progress through a Global Circularity Protocol for Business;
• Accelerating actions towards the implementation of food systems transformation targets; and
• Promoting scientific and data-driven approaches to promote SCP: Closing the SDG data gap and accelerating the implementation of the circular economy.

The 10YFP Board and SCP Partners Meeting took place on 24 February 2024 at the UNEP Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya and online.

A Brief History of the 10YFP and One Planet Network

Agenda 21, adopted at the UN Conference on Environment and Development, in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, identified unsustainable patterns of consumption and production as the major cause of global environmental deterioration. In response, the 2002 Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, adopted during the World Summit on Sustainable Development, which convened in Johannesburg, South Africa, calls on stakeholders to “encourage and promote the development of a 10-Year Framework of Programmes.” It was further elaborated during the multi-stakeholder Marrakesh Process (2003-2012) and as one of the themes for discussion at the 18th and 19th Sessions of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD 18 and CSD 19). The 10YFP was initially to be adopted at CSD 19 but, in the absence of any conclusions from CSD 19, the 10YFP was integrated into the process leading up to UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20). The 10YFP was adopted as one of the operational outcomes contained in “The Future We Want” (A/CONF.216/5). Implementing the 10YFP is part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the first target of the Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG 12). The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) was requested to function as the Secretariat and to administer the Trust Fund to implement SCP in developing countries.

In December 2021, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a decision to extend the mandate of the 10YFP until 2030. The resolution mandated an inclusive consultative process, under the leadership of the 10YFP intergovernmental Board, to develop a Global Strategy for Sustainable Consumption and Production (2023-2030). The Strategy aims to accelerate the shift to SCP in all countries through four complementary pillars which should guide collective and individual actions.

Implementing the 10YFP, the One Planet Network is a global community of practitioners, policymakers and experts, comprised of more than 6000 individual and 4000 organizational members who share knowledge, best practices, tools, and data on SCP all working towards achieving SDG12. UNEP serves as the Secretariat and facilitates the One Planet Network.

There are six programmes operating under the 10YFP, on: consumer information; sustainable lifestyles and education; sustainable public procurement; circular built environment, sustainable tourism; and sustainable food systems. Two initiatives address Digitalization for Sustainability and Advancing the sugarcane industry under the concept of circularity.

The 10YFP is governed by an intergovernmental Board whose selection is based on consultations within the UN’s five regional groups, each of which could nominate two members to serve on the board. Per the draft resolution, five members are re-nominated for a second two-year term. According to the Board’s terms of reference, members are eligible for re-nomination for one additional two-year term to ensure continuity in the work of the Board.

Report of the Meeting

On Saturday, 24 February, 10YFP Board Members, Co-Leads of 10YFP Programmes and interested Member States met during a breakfast session to consider 10YFP priority activities as related to its Results Framework and Budget (2023-2024) and outline specific SCP areas of intervention for 2024.

H.E. Giovanna Valverde, Co-Chair of the 10YFP Board, Ambassador of Costa Rica in Kenya and Permanent Representative to UNEP and UN-Habitat, opened the meeting, reminding participants that time is of the essence if Member States are serious about achieving SDG 12.1 and developing, adopting, or implementing policy instruments aimed at supporting the shift to SCP.

Elisabeth Mrema, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP, reminded all that SCP is an issue that touches upon everything we do. She cited research by the International Resources Panel stating that current levels of unsustainable consumption and production would require two Earths, while continuation of the trajectory will require three Earths by 2050. UNEA-6, she said, is an opportunity to rethink how we produce and consume by pivoting away from the wasteful path, and by developing actionable and practical steps to build circularity interventions into NDCs.

Update on the implementation of the Results Framework & Budget (2023-2024): Jorge Laguna-Celis, Head of the 10YFP Secretariat, UNEP, reported on two outcomes, including: that Member States demonstrate leadership and commitment to promote and implement SCP as an essential requirement to achieve sustainable development and address the triple planetary crises with the support of the 10YFP Secretariat and OPN; and the transition of societal choices and sustainability is supported by common principles and standards for sustainable consumption and circularity in high-impact sectors such as construction, tourism and commerce. Laguna-Celis highlighted the launch of the Building Circularity into NDCs – A Practical Toolbox, a user guide and digital toolbox to support countries to assess, prioritize, implement and track circular economy interventions for increased ambition and implementation of their nationally determined contributions.

Regarding the outcome on increased stakeholder engagement with the One Planet Network, Laguna-Celis noted 1,450 participants engaged in nexus dialogues on SCP across UN agencies. In addition, he said the Circular Agroazúcar Climate Alliance, announced at UNFCCC COP 28, seeks to confront climate change from the sugarcane sector, through circularity approaches that target economic, social, and environmental variables.

The Board also noted progress on several strategic partnerships to be advanced in 2024. Amongst the key partnerships that the Secretariat highlighted were with the 10YFP and: FAO on food systems transformation though sustainable public procurement; UNDP and the UNFCCC for advancing circularity in NDCs; UNIDO and ITU on Digital Product Standards; UNOPS and UN-Habitat to develop a standardized circularity assessment framework for the construction sector; UNCTAD to scale up the uptake of the Consumer Information Programme’s Product Sustainability Information Guidelines; World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD) to continue co-leading the development of a Global Circularity Protocol; UNWTO (UN Tourism) for implementation of the One Planet Network Sustainable Tourism Programme; and with the regional SCP partners, including the European Commission, to close the SDG data gap and accelerate implementation of the circular economy.

The 10YFP Secretariat also highlighted the strong strategic partnership it has with GO4SDGS, which continues to strengthen engagement with regional SCP actors and enhance stakeholder capacities, including youth, on SCP.

Consideration of the Theme and Venue of a Global Dialogue for SCP: In a lengthy discussion after hearing a proposal by Brazil to host the One Planet Network Forum in September 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Member States indicated two main options: to postpone the Forum to 2025, or to hold it in September 2024, back-to-back with the Global Dialogue on SCP.

Final Decision: The Board of the 10YFP:​

• welcomed the offer of the Government of Brazil to host the One Planet Network Forum in September 2024;
• decided that the theme of the Forum will be “Reducing inequalities and achieving just transitions for all through sustainable consumption and production, including through circular economy”; [1]
• considered the proposal to hold the Global Dialogue on SCP in September 2024 back-to-back with the One Planet Network Forum under the same overarching theme; and
• requested the Secretariat to present by 13 March a proposal outlining options on how the mandate of the Global Dialogue on SCP can be fulfilled in a back-to-back scenario and decided to take a decision in this regard at its meeting scheduled for 18 March.

Update on the 10YFP Board Membership Renewal Process: Laguna-Celis highlighted that Board Members may serve for two years and invited Regional Groups to renominate one of their existing members for a further consecutive term. He referenced that with the exception of Mauritius, other board members are eligible for the renomination process. Brazil, US, Senegal, and Sweden already indicated their interest in continuing as representatives for their respective regions. Laguna-Celis announced that the date of the board re-election, as set and convened by the Office of the President of the General Assembly, will take place on 21 March, 2024.

The breakfast session was followed by five thematic sessions throughout the day.

Thematic Session I: Towards a Global Dialogue on Sustainable Consumption and Production

The first session was moderated by Jorge Laguna-Celis, Head of the 10YFP Secretariat, UNEP.

Elizabeth Mrema, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP, said a global dialogue is not just a multilateral environmental agreement or a ‘talk shop,’ but a catalyst for results through engagement and compromise at all levels, which should help usher in an era for SCP and circularity. She urged all to be part of the solution and called on the 10YFP to put into action their thoughts generated during the day.

Speaking on behalf of youth, Ibrahim Tuzee Abdul-Raheem, Youth Constituency on SCP, Major Group for Children and Youth, emphasized that young people are ideally placed to draw attention to SCP and to make communities accessible to the relevant public sectors as they can better frame SCP in lifting the role of local sustainable businesses.

Cheikh Fofana, Deputy Director, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, Senegal, described the progress in building capacity and developing an action plan for reducing unsustainable consumption and production since 2007, thus becoming a showcase for other African countries towards transitioning to a circular economy.

Emphasizing the importance of prioritizing reduction of racial inequalities in his country, Daniel Lodetti, Deputy Head for Sustainable Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Brazil, outlined preparatory steps towards gathering SCP partners in a forum that will have as a goal economic growth, social inclusion, and sustainable development.

One participant described an agricultural initiative among women from her community towards transitioning agricultural practices towards circularity by reducing waste in their mango production cycle.

Thematic Session II: Leveraging Digital Standards and Tools for Sustainable Consumption and Production

In this session, organized in partnership with UNIDO and ITU, the importance of developing standards for digitalization for circular economy was underscored by all participants.

UNEP’s Chief Digital Officer, Sally Golestan, emphasized the need for ensuring quality of data, interoperability, data governance, affordability, and access to data.

In a virtual keynote presentation, Ken Webster, Director, International Society for the Circular Economy, cautioned about the financial conditions to accelerate the transition to circular economies, noting that finance is oriented to use short-term data, focused on assets, and done through blended finance, and that governments tend to de-risk to the investments by companies. He warned that while having a digital foundation is particularly good for the circular economy, ownership over digital platforms will inevitably lead to intense competition as they entail the subsequent control over data. He said the challenge lies in ensuring digital information is not “captured” by significant business groups.

Adriana Zacarias Farah, Head of Global Opportunities for SDGs and Deputy Head, One Planet Network, UNEP, as the moderator of this session, emphasized how the One Planet Network is convening relevant partners to work together on global digital standards through the Digitalization for Circular Economy Initiative with activities planned throughout 2024. She also highlighted how UNEP, UNIDO, ITU and WBCSD are working towards identifying the needs and gaps for a global framework on digital product information.

The panel started with Reyna Ubeda, Project Officer and Engineer to ITU-T SG5, mentioned how digitalization is at the heart of ITU’s mandate, as technologies with universal connectivity and digital transformation are crucial for development. However, she stressed the importance of ensuring that these put sustainability at the center of those transformations. Reyna also shared ITU’s experience in setting standards for the ICT sector on product information sharing. She highlighted international sustainability standards as an enabler to ensure interoperability, which can make the ICT sector more efficient, ensuring ecological principles form the bedrock of standards, and reducing emissions.

Tomoyoshi Koume, Industrial Development Officer, UNIDO, shared his agency’s priorities towards leveraging technologies for sustainability and circular economy. To scale circularity approaches, he also referred to the need to help Global South countries develop their IT systems more systemically, and to circulate the information freely and safely among users.

Christoffer Back Vestli, International Environmental Relations, European Commission, described the Circular Economy Action Plan for Europe that will ensure that products are developed sustainably, saying the transition will be impossible without proper integration of digital systems, which can be helpful along value chains.

Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, Director, Industry and Economy Division, UNEP, cited growing momentum for standardization of digital systems, with bureaus of standards requesting inclusion in the development of global standards, saying the One Planet Network presents a natural home for this process. She said regulations for digital systems might overwhelm consumers, which cause reluctance to introduce standards.

Thematic Session III: Business Commitments to Implement Sustainable Consumption and Production and Circular Economy and Measure Progress through a Global Circularity Protocol for Business

In the afternoon, a session was held in partnership with the WBCSD, with Inês dos Santos Costa, Sustainability and Climate, Circularity Leader for Public Sector, Deloitte Central Europe, moderating the event.

Alison Gray Cairns, Head of Private Sector Engagement, UNEP, emphasized the importance of the circular transition, noting the data is clear, in that the circular economy could unlock USD 4.5 trillion of economic growth and create six million new jobs, In textiles alone, she said, more than 300 million people work along the textile value chain accounting for approximately 8% of world’s emissions. Switching to more circular business models, including fashion rentals, re-commerce, repair, and refurbishment could enable the industry to cut around 143 million tons of emissions by 2030. Underscoring the need for greater transparency and accountability, she said that mobilizing around circularity is a game changer for reducing the levels of consumption and production.

Janez Potočnik, Co-Chair, International Resource Panel, highlighted the findings of the soon to be launched 2024 Global Resources Outlook. He explained that the extraction of materials are driving 60% of climate impacts with total global material use having tripled over the last few decades, reporting this is estimated to double by 2060.

Oliver Boachie, Special Advisor, Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ghana, urged for resourcing the protocol adequately, with a first step of mapping the relative stakeholders and establishing the relevant protocols, saying where they already exist legal frameworks must be renewed, and where not, new ones should be developed.

On the unsustainable impact by the health industry’s waste processes, Robert Metzke, Senior Vice President and Global Head Sustainability, Royal Philips, recommended using the scaling power of the private sector, and inventing new business models that will ensure uptake from society at the scale of some of the environmental agreements.

Constantine Nyanzero, Head of Innovation, Masawara Group, joining virtually, on what needs to be unlocked in African businesses to scale the circular transition, cited financial access, tailored to circular businesses, reducing risk through guarantees and capacity building. He highlighted that countries are all developing data protection acts and suggested: empowerment of regulators to understand the advantage of circular economies; creating tax breaks as well as penalties; providing clear guidelines on how to comply with such business initiatives; and encouraging supply chain partnerships through creating appropriate platforms.

Davinah Uwella-Milenge, Principal Programme Coordinator, African Development Bank, regretted the lack of appropriate financial instruments in Africa for the informal and small and medium enterprises sector, and called for defining the loan metrices properly, overcoming the challenges of scaling successful initiatives, and initiating well-resourced incubation projects that demonstrate circularity.

Quentin Drewell, Director, Products & Materials, WBCSD, noting circularity is a solution especially enabling employment creation with its associated social benefits, expressed surprise that it has not been taken up more quickly. Mentioning the unforeseen disruptions of COVID 19, extreme climate events and corruption scandals, he said in just over two decades more than half of the world’s top 500 business had gone out of business. He called on the business sector to lead the circularity transition, and said while government is good at creating rules, it is especially important that private and public sectors have a mutually reinforcing effect to accelerate the circular transition.

Thematic session IV: Accelerating Actions Towards the Implementation of Food Systems Transformation Targets

This session was organized with the One Planet Network’s Sustainable Food Systems Programme, World Wide Fund for Nature and UNIDO, and moderated by Adam Gerstenmier, Executive Director, Food Action Alliance, who reminded how the conversation around food systems has grown over the past decade.

Osmany Cantillo, Senior Official, International Affairs Division, Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, Cuba, shared his experiences in the sugarcane industry, emphasizing key reasons for transitioning to circularity, including being one of the biggest pollutants highest emitters, whereas it could become a significant source of bio-energy. As challenges in Cuba, he highlighted: lack of political will or lack of awareness in the public sector; financial resources to transform all the processes from start to finish; and introducing modern technologies for processing plants, since the industry was built over 200 years ago.

Monica Yator, Founder, Indigenous Women and Girls Initiative, provided examples of how her initiative focuses on how to resolve conflict around competition and management of pasture, and described their realization that they needed to transition towards more sustainable farming practices, especially for woman as small-scale farmers  and said SDG 12 (SCP) or 13 (limit climate change) cannot be achieved without linking it to SDG 1 (end poverty) and 2 (zero hunger).

Robynne Anderson, President, Emerging Ag Inc, noting that the food system sector is one of the most diverse, as it includes stakeholders from fishermen, to pastoralists and all the way up to food stalls in the urban centres, she called for transitions in all of these by eliminating the fundamental inequalities that have the greatest impacts on those least able to bear the costs.

James Lomax, Senior Officer, UNEP, mentioned the silo approaches from national governments and the challenge of getting ministries of agriculture to consider the environment and vice versa and said linking the Global Biodiversity Framework will be a critical catalyst in this respect. As another enabling factor he identified access to public and private finance, and suggested incentives such as subsidies can be a real force for change, although it should not become red tape, but function as a positive influence for change.

Patrick Mink, Senior Policy Officer, Federal Office for Agriculture, Switzerland, said the idea of policy conversions is not new, but was initiated over a decade ago, and underscored the need to transform food systems as the primary driver of land use change and degradation, which makes it an important driver of climate change. He encouraged Member States to use the opportunity during UNEA-6 to make sure the Assembly recognizes that food systems transformation is key.

Thematic Session V: Promoting Scientific and Data-Driven Approaches to Promote SCP: Closing the SDG Data Gap and Accelerating the Implementation of the Circular Economy

The final session of the day was moderated by Ruoxi Li, Associate Expert, UNEP, who emphasized that accelerated action is needed to achieve the SDGs by 2030.

Jian Liu, Director of Early Warning and Assessment Division, UNEP, emphasized the need for integrated approaches across all thematic programmes of UNEP, saying the 10YFP for SCP should be raised to a new level of recognition as it provides an all-of-society approach to transitioning towards sustainability.

Huadong Guo, Director General, International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS), in a virtual address, said the achievement of SDGs where no one is left behind is hindered by the data gap, and the conversation in the session is core to leveraging the power of data to transform to a circular economy. Saying harnessing the power of data is our challenge, especially the use of big data for assessment of SDG progress, he called on Member States to turn data collection into real actions by monitoring progress.

Xiaosong Li, CBAS, presenting virtually, shared some practices on how to close the data gap, noting that CBAS has established environmental dimensions of the research under CBAS for monitoring SDG progress. He described some of the advantages of big data access and AI, including through: resource mapping to quantify resources and to guide resource extraction; monitoring waste and pollution levels and even identifying illegal dumping sites in the waste management sector; identification of agricultural deficiency and optimization of agricultural practices; for urban planning in designing cities by optimizing locations for energy efficiency; and improving energy production by identifying the most appropriate sites for when and where solar and wind energy is produced and consumed.

Cheikh Fofana, Deputy Director, Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development and Ecological Transition, Senegal, on a cooperation project to support the country’s ability to track their SDG implementation and transition towards circularity, he described OPN support in Senegal, saying the country has benefitted through strengthening institutional capacity in SCP institutional and technical capacity after a decade of capacity building support.

Therese El Gemayel, circularity project manager, UNEP, expanded on how UNEP assists countries in transitioning to circular economies, citing assistance to countries through knowledge products that are disseminated and translated in as many languages as possible. She identified other activities, including targeted capacity building in countries and at regional level, such as involvement in OECD and a task force on circular economies to measure their transition to circular economies.

Speaking on behalf of youth, Shannon Eileen Lisa, Chemicals and Waste Youth Platform, Major Group for Children and Youth, shared how the youth can support the shift to circular economy, as both constituencies work jointly on these aspects of SDG achievement. Mentioning the thousands of sites of hazardous waste disposal as an example, she emphasized the need for free and unrestricted access to data, and for the many countries still struggling with paper filing systems, suggested that communities should not just have access, but should be direct partners in producing it.

Gulnara Roll, Head of Cities Unit, UNEP, described UNEP work on circularity in buildings, by using multiple data sets and AI in order to understand how to decrease carbon emissions from construction of buildings, warning the number of buildings erected is growing. Reporting that every five days, the number of buildings constructed equals the entire Paris footprint, she commended the idea of having digital passports for building, and stressed the need to use bio-based construction materials.

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[1] In-session decision made reference to the theme as “Reducing inequalities and achieving just transitions for all through sustainable consumption and production and circular economy;”. However, the final version of the theme, as reflected in the above text, was agreed by Board Members during the post-sessional proceedings.