Sustainable production and consumption: How to better use this potential

The way products are produced and consumed has an impact on the economy, our way of life, and our environment. There is significant potential here for reducing the burden on the environment. As a result, the United Nations dedicated one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely SDG 12, to promoting sustainable consumption and production. The realisation of concrete recommendations for action on the national and international level remains a challenge, not least due to the interconnectedness with other SDGs. The development of an overarching framework for implementation is therefore only slowly progressing. In order to decide what steps are necessary on an EU level, discussions with national environmental authorities, academia, and civil society are critical.

As part of an expert workshop, factors were identified that may allow for an ambitious realisation of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development on the EU-level. Furthermore, possible approaches and frameworks for multidisciplinary implementation of SDG12 were discussed. It was further debated whether the recommendations made by the German Environment Agency with regards to sustainable consumption, resource conservation and efficiency, as well as recycling management and chemistry are also made by its European counterparts. Possible modes of cooperation and core demands were further formulated in this expert workshop.

On behalf of the German Environment Agency, adelphi was responsible for the preparation and follow-up of the workshop in terms of technical content. The project team was further in charge of conceptual and logistical aspects of the conference.