Sustainable consumption and production (SCP) is at the core of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically addressed by SDG 12. This goal aims to "ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns," acting as a cross-cutting theme that feeds into other SDGs such as those related to climate change, poverty, health, and sustainable cities.
SCP involves using services and products in a way that minimizes environmental damage, preserves natural resources, and promotes social equity. The purpose is to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, which means pursuing economic development in a way that can be sustained by the planet over the long term. SCP requires changes at all levels of society, from individuals to businesses to governments.
At the individual level, SCP implies making lifestyle choices that reduce environmental impact. This might include reducing, reusing, and recycling waste, choosing products with less packaging, and opting for more sustainable forms of transport like cycling or public transport.
For businesses, SCP entails adopting sustainable business models and practices. This could include improving resource efficiency, investing in renewable energy, designing products that are durable and recyclable, and ensuring fair labor practices.
At the government level, SCP involves implementing policies that support sustainable business practices and incentivize sustainable consumer behavior. This might involve regulations to reduce pollution, subsidies for renewable energy, and campaigns to raise awareness about sustainable consumption.
SCP also plays a role in several other SDGs. For example, sustainable production practices can help mitigate climate change (SDG 13) by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, by reducing the pressure on natural resources, SCP supports the goals related to life below water (SDG 14) and life on land (SDG 15).
While progress has been made in certain areas, challenges remain in achieving the shift towards SCP. These include existing patterns of overconsumption, limited awareness about the impacts of consumption, and the need for technological innovation to enable more sustainable production.
Bioremediation of Emerging Contaminants from Soils, Soil Health Conservation for Improved Ecology and Food Security, 2024, Pages 465-488
This content aligns with Goals 2, 13, and 15 by highlighting how indigenous soil reclamation practices can enhance agricultural productivity and food security; explaining how healthy soils play a crucial role in climate change adaptation and mitigation through practices like agroforestry; and emphasizing the importance of biodiversity conservation and sustainable land management practices inherent in indigenous knowledge systems,
Mxene-Based Hybrid Nano-Architectures for Environmental Remediation and Sensor Applications: From Design to Applications, Micro and Nano Technologies series, 2024, Pages 113-127
Role of Green Chemistry in Ecosystem Restoration to Achieve Environmental Sustainability, Advances in Pollution Research, 2024, Pages 75-82
This content aligns with Goals 15, 17, and 10 by highlighting the role of indigenous knowledge in sustainable development, particularly in areas like land and resource management, disaster risk reduction, and animal husbandry; emphasizing the need to integrate indigenous and scientific knowledge systems to address challenges like climate change and biodiversity conservation; and discussing the challenges faced by indigenous peoples and the importance of recognizing their rights and traditional practices.
This content aligns with Goals 10 and 12 by offering a methodology and framework that provides a way forward in resilient water management and planning which incorporates Indigenous knowledge, values and perspectives.
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology -Part A : Molecular and Integrative Physiology, Volume 284, October 2023
