SDG #12 Responsible Consumption and Production
Global population is increasing and the latest data shows that it could grow up to around 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion by 2050. At the rate consumption is growing, the equivalent to almost three planets could be required to provide the natural recourses needed to sustain current lifestyles. The United Nations defines three different planetary crises caused by humanity, the climate crisis, the biodiversity crisis, and the pollution crisis, all related to unsustainable levels of production and consumption. Waste is an inevitable by-product of societies who create and consume goods, but if this waste were to be managed in a sustainable way, the impacts would be very different. Through responsible consumption, production and disposal, people would be able to live as they are, but without harming the planet.
The global “material footprint”, an indicator used to measure the number of raw materials used to satisfy domestic consumption in particular areas, has increased by 70% since 2000 to 2017. Every minute, in average 1 million plastic bottles of water are purchased and every year, 5 trillion single-use plastic bags are thrown away. On average, each person generates around 7.3kg of electronic waste, from computers, mobile phones, etc. but only 23% is recycled. Developing countries still have vast untapped potential for the use of renewable energy, which is not being well managed. Lastly, fossil fuel subsidies saw a decline in 2019 due to lower fuel prices.
The implications caused by these extreme levels of consumption and production have made it imperative to take immediate action, and for this, Sustainable Development Goal 12 was created. This goal aims to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns, in line with the Agenda 2030. Targets include: all countries to take action for the implementation of a 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production which is constantly being reviewed; achieve sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources; reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reusing; reduce food waste at retail and consumer levels and reduce food loss along production and supply chains.
As of now, 83 countries have shared information on their contribution to the implementation of the 10-year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production. This Framework was developed to enhance global cooperation and accelerate the shift towards sustainable consumption and production, both in developed and developing countries. Additionally, 136 policies and 27 implementation activities were reported in 2020.
According to the World Bank, food waste and plastics together represent more than half of global waste, 44% represent “food and green” and 12% plastics, leaving the remaining amount to paper and cardboard, wood, metal, glass and rubber and leather. Research from the World Resources Institute determines that, in the poorest countries, most of the food loss happens during the stages of production and distribution, mostly due to lack of adequate infrastructure for food storage, while in the richest countries, it happens at the consumption stage. Implying that, in the richest countries, food waste derives from consumers or retailers, and this happens, for instance, because the item has reached its “best by” date or is spoiled. On the other hand, the most common causes of food loss, in the poorest countries, are due to damage during harvesting, loss during storage because of unsuitable temperatures and humidity or infestation.
Herewith, reducing food waste is crucial to ending hunger and more than 1.3 billion metric tons of food is being wasted yearly, while nearly 2 billion people are hungry and undernourished. In order to meet the targets of SDG 12, economies need to focus their energy on the development of strategies to reduce food waste in every stage of the supply chain. An example could be, providing farmers better access to adequate storage facilities.
Regarding plastics, even though the large-scale production only began in the 1950s, plastics are now part of everyday life. Plastic materials account for and fifth of the world’s waste and throughout the past years, have been under increasing environmental scrutiny. Notably, research suggests that over two-thirds of all plastics ever made have been discarded, and only 6% of these, have been recycled.
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased significantly plastic consumption, due to the necessity of single-use plastics, such as, face masks, PPE and sanitizer bottles, to fight the virus. The sale of face masks has increased from 800 million in 2019 to 166 billion in 2020 and, because to the increased number of at home deliveries, places like restaurants, had to rely on plastic containers to safely deliver food.
For better waste management, some of the most common strategies in plastic production are dematerialization (reduction in the quantity of materials used), substitution and enhanced biodegradability, and alongside this, should be built an effective after-use plastics economy with efficient methods to reduce the impact in natural recourses.
In conclusion, it is imperative to act towards more sustainable methods of consumption and production in order to reverse the damage caused by materials, such as plastics and implement better practices within waste management all around the world, especially regarding food waste. The targets of SDG 12 outline extremely important points that humanity should consider, when living the day-to-day lives to put an ending on the three crises mentioned above.
https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal12
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-consumption-production/
