SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production

 Responsible Consumption and Production! 

In 2015, leaders from 193 different countries agreed on 17 global goals they felt the world needed to achieve by 2030. The twelfth of these goals is Responsible Consumption and Production which considers the way the Earth’s resources are used.

The main goals of SDG 12 are to steer consumers toward responsible consumption, to shift producers away from current and unsustainable production practices, and to foster a culture of awareness when it comes to our use of resources.

Our world today increasingly revolves around our consumption. From the products we buy (and the ease with which we throw them away), to the natural resources that we exploit without a second thought, it is clear that much of our planet has come to revolve around consumption and consumerism. Globally, we consume much more resources than our planet can produce. In fact, every 7 months we are consuming what it takes the Earth 1 year to produce.

The Earth Overshoot Day is the day of the year that marks the point at which we have exhausted the Earth’s resources for that year. In 2024 Earth Overshoot Day fell on August 1^st. Every day after August 1^st we are using resources that the Earth simply does not have to give. At present we are using the resources of 1.75 planets, and there is no Planet B to come to our rescue.

Unfortunately, this figure gets even more concerning when we look at the consumption habits of individual countries. In 2024 the Earth Overshoot Day for the United States was March 14^th, for Luxembourg it was February 20^th, and for Qatar it was February 11^th! This means that Qatar uses its yearly share of the planet’s resources every 42 days. If the whole world lived in this way, we would need almost 9 planets to sustain us!!

However, it is incredibly important to mention that this is not the case across the board. The reason Earth Overshoot Day is in August and not February, is that many countries are using fewer resources than their fair share. These countries help to balance the scales, essentially footing the bill for this consumerist lifestyle that so many people have become entrenched in. As you can probably guess, these are the same countries that have been exploited time and again, and who feel the effects of this overconsuming lifestyle (and the climate effects associated with it) most acutely. According to the UN, the material footprint per capita in high-income countries is 10 times the level of low-income countries.

As the global population continues to rise, it is estimated that by 2050 we will require 3 Earth’s to meet resource demand. We cannot continue on this trajectory. Clearly something needs to change! We need to break the habit and move away from mindless consumption, towards conscious action. Let’s take a closer look at responsible consumption and responsible production.

Responsible Consumption

Responsible consumption refers to using products and services which address basic needs and bring a better quality of life, while minimising the use of natural resources and emissions of waste and pollutants. It means taking stock of our consumption habits, and changing them to more conscious choices that take the health of people and the planet into account. When we talk about consumption, it is easy to equate this solely with the products we buy and the services we use. While this is a very important area to consider, this is certainly not the full picture. Consumption also refers to the resources we use, such as water, electricity, gas, and oil. The way we heat our homes, fuel our cars, wash our clothes, and cook our meals, all have to do with our consumption. It also refers to the waste that we generate, be it food, recycling, landfill waste, or the emissions from our cars, all of this falls under our consumption habits.

Globally every year, 1.6 billion tonnes of food is wasted; a startling figure that is hard to put into context. Let’s look at it another way. The UN estimates that each person wastes 120kg of food every year, however this figure increases when we look at heavily consuming countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. Approximately one-third of all food produced for human consumption is wasted. When we consider how much water is devoted to agriculture, it makes this realisation all the more shocking.

Water is a finite resource on our planet, and one that in the grand scheme of things we have very little of. Earth’s surface is covered by 70% water, of which only 3% is drinkable. Of that drinkable water, 80% is frozen in the polar ice caps and glaciers, leaving only 20% for human use. Of that water left for human use, 70% goes towards irrigation in agriculture. To then think that one-third of all the food produced using this precious water just gets discarded, is almost unbearable.

I know it seems overwhelming when you look at everything together, but in order to change something it is crucial to have a clear understanding of it. Consumption is not just the excessive things we may buy here and there. It is so much more than this. It is the everyday habits and choices that we make without even realising them.

Responsible Production

Responsible production is different in that it highlights the responsibility of those producing the items instead of the consumer. The idea is that producers would focus on creating goods and services in an ethical and sustainable way that limits waste and pollution, and supports the sustainability of surrounding communities and the natural world. If only it were that simple. Big companies can be very reluctant to change, especially if it means an initial loss of capital. Shifting to responsible production techniques may have cost benefits in the long term, but they generally require an upfront investment to get things going, which many companies are not willing to fork out.

In the same way that many consumers have become entrenched in a lifestyle of overconsumption, many companies are rooted in a system whose whole infrastructure has been built around the use of fossil fuels and the exploitation of the planet’s resources. In order to transition to a Net Zero economy by 2050, there needs to be a massive infrastructure change which will include the increase of renewable-power capacity and electricity grids as well as the decarbonization of existing fossil-fuel-reliant assets around the world. A change projected to cost around $3.5 trillion USD. I’m sure you can imagine that most large multinational companies are not going to make these changes out of the goodness of their heart, therefore it is imperative that policy and legislation require them to do so.

It's not all doom and gloom!

There are many positive trends happening around the world which are hopeful reminders that change can be accomplished if enough people want it to!

Meal kits which consist of pre-portioned and packaged food sent directly to your home, have become increasingly popular in the last number of years and are set to continue to grow annually by about 15%. At a glance, these meal kits delivered straight to your door may seem like the opposite of a positive trend, given that they are individually delivered to each person’s home, resulting in more transport emissions, and often contain a lot of packaging in order to keep food fresh. However, research suggests that these meals on average produce 33% less greenhouse gases than their supermarket-bought alternatives; largely due to the amount of food waste avoided.

As well as this, an increase in vegetarian and plant-based eating has been seen in many high-income countries, leading to a reduction in meat (often imported) consumption and therefore a reduction in emissions. The ever-increasing amount of veggie options is becoming more appealing to the public, and meatless products have become continuously more popular over the last few decades.

While waste generation is increasing, it is important to acknowledge that recycling rates have increased as well. While there is still much that needs to be done, the graph below indicates the difference in recycling rates in the EU from 2004 to 2020:

Source: EEA

According to the UN, 485 policies have been introduced across 62 countries and the EU that support shifting to sustainable consumption and production, with increasing highlights on environmental commitments to climate, biodiversity, and pollution and waste. Also, while reporting across the board is down, company sustainability reporting has tripled since 2016 with over 70% of monitored companies publishing reports. These reports disclose policies on water, energy, and CO2 emissions, occupational health and safety, and board diversity. While this a great step in the right direction, only 10% of these companies are reporting on all 17 SDG’s.

The share of renewable energy is increasing too. By 2026 it is forecast that renewable energy capacity is set to increase by 60% when compared to 2020, accounting for 95% of overall global increased power capacity – largely through solar. This increase in renewable capacity will make it easier for people to choose renewables as energy sources for their homes, both through energy providers and through private installations, and for businesses to move toward renewable energy sources for production.

There have been many technological advances in the realm of food production including things like precision agriculture, efficient indoor farming, hydroseeding, automated irrigation and harvesting, food waste tracking to minimise food waste, drones for crop monitoring, 3D printing (which can even print food!), and pesticide alternatives. None of these is a one-stop solution, however together they are steps forward in the right direction toward the systems changes that need to take place!

What would the world look like if responsible consumption and production practices were in place?

People would be aware of the consequences of overconsumption and the impact that it has on the world and its inhabitants. They would take notice of their purchasing habits and make sustainable changes. They would consume only what they needed, no longer living a live of unconscious excess, being keenly aware of the impact of their water usage, energy usage, waste generation, purchasing choices, and spending habits. They would be aware of their dietary choices, and as a result obesity rates would begin to decline from their alarmingly high levels.

The Earth’s resources would become more evenly distributed - those in lower-income countries being given access to the resources that at present remain squandered by others. People would have access to clean water, reliable energy sources, and adequate food. It would be a culture where people supported the idea of sharing resources and only consuming what we need. Where things were not simply purchased and then disposed of, but repaired, repurposed, rehomed, or re-evaluated entirely. It would be a step away from our modern system of ‘take and use’, towards a sustainable, collaborative system of ‘share and preserve’.  

What can you do to assist this SDG?

Governments

Continuing to implement policies and legislation that requires large companies to make significant sustainably changes is vital. Directives such as the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which requires organisations to report sustainability disclosures across several topics pertaining to environmental and social issues, is the beginning of what needs to be a much bigger requirement - holding companies accountable for their actions.

The Private Sector

The private sector must contribute through sustainable production. As we mentioned, businesses need to shift away from the reliance on fossil fuels and employ renewable energy, use recycled materials, and work to reduce their impacts on biodiversity. The automotive industry is a good example of this structural shift. In 2023 it is estimated that the sale of electric vehicles will be at a record high, with almost 20% of new cars purchased being electric.

Individuals

Stepping away from our established habits when it comes to our consumption behaviours is key. In order for us to do this, we need to know what those behaviours are, because when you measure something, you can manage it. Take stock of your behaviour around energy use in your home, at work, on your commute. Can you be more diligent about turning lights off? Can you change to a renewable energy provider? Can you cycle to work instead of driving? Little changes like these make a huge difference!

The same goes for your water usage. What are the flow rates of your taps/showers/toilet cisterns? Are they needlessly high? Install aerators to reduce the flow rate. Take shorter showers. Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth. Again, every small action adds up.

Become more conscious of the products you buy. Can it be reused? Is there an alternative with no packaging? Do you even need it? Reducing what we buy will in turn reduce how much waste we generate. Also, look at your waste disposal habits. Waste sent to landfill or to be incinerated produces far more emissions than waste that is recycled or composted, so try to be more diligent about disposing of waste correctly.

The power of collective action can never be underestimated. While governments and companies have extremely large parts to play in the shift towards responsible consumption and production, so do we. If everyone on the planet shifted their mindset towards a more sustainable way of living, the effects would be incredible.

No raindrop feels responsible for the flood, but each one contributes to it.

Do your part to help our planet.

Transform Consumption and Production 

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Read our blog on the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 next.

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Thank you for reading today.

The FSG Team 💚