Expansion of Policy Domain of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP): Challenges and Opportunities for Policy Design

Structural model for sustainable consumption and production adoption—A grey-DEMATEL based approach

The rising problem of severe resource scarcity, environmental pollution and ecological degradation has become a great constraint on economic development in China. Sustainable consumption and production (SCP), as a primary way to decouple economic development from environmental degradation, has been undertaken via various energy-saving and environmental protection policies in China. The main practices for SCP in China, including the adjustment of the industry structure, the promotion of a circular economy and cleaner production, the Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction Project, green procurement, and progress in waste management are discussed. Though China has made some achievements in SCP, it is still facing serious challenges. The extensive economic growth model, strengthened by local governments with the incentive of the expectation of promotion and financial reward, aggravates the problems of resources and the environment. The imbalanced development in China, including uneven development among regions, imbalanced expenditure structure between consumption and investment, and the rising inequality in income resulting in imbalanced consumption with insufficient consumption accompanied by overconsumption, is challenging the coordination of development and protection. The weak capacity for scientific and technological innovation and the underdevelopment of non-governmental organizations in China leave the government as the main player in SCP, and this is inefficient for the development of SCP. It is suggested that SCP should be put forward as a development strategy and be conducted more systematically using existing policies in China so as to promote SCP more efficiently. China’s further reform is expected to lift the institutional barriers to SCP and promote economic transformation, balanced development and social equity. In addition, the long-term capacity for SCP calls for the improvement of independent technical innovation in enterprises and extensive social participation.

This paper argues that sustainable consumption and production (SCP) should play a prominent role in the formulation and implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and discusses how this could be practically done. Unsustainable patterns of consumption and production have been declared the primary cause of environmental deterioration. This was clearly recognized already at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (or the Rio Summit) in 1992; and this recognition has been reconfirmed in all high-level sustainability meetings since then. SCP aims to change these patterns; it is a policy agenda for addressing the root causes of our ecological predicament, while, at the same time, providing for human wellbeing and prosperity. Drawing from international agreements, practical policy experience and research from a range of disciplines, the paper provides a clarifying framework for scientifically robust, policy-relevant and practical goal-setting for SCP within the SDGs. Special attention is given to how SCP in the SDGs can create synergies with other international policy initiatives. The paper explores the advantages and disadvantages of two possible options for reflecting SCP in the SDGs framework: (i) SCP as a stand-alone goal; and (ii) SCP as a cross-cutting objective, embedded within relevant goals. While these two options are not necessarily mutually exclusive, given the competing number of issues for prioritization and the fact that a 10-Year Framework of Programs on SCP has also recently been established, it is hardly foreseeable that both options can be realized. The paper further proposes a set of basic principles for SCP at the global level and makes recommendations towards the formulation of indicators supporting SCP objectives in the SDGs.

The footwear industry needs a sustainable business environment due to its remarkable contributions to the economic growth of a country. Sustainable consumption and production (SCP) practices in the footwear industry can act as a pivotal driving factor for sustainable development in footwear sector of Bangladesh. The implementation of SCP practices is not an easy task for the footwear industry since there are numerous challenges in the existing supply chain. Meanwhile, the literature reveals that the lack of studies on relevant industry motivates to carry out this research. Therefore, this research focuses on the state-of-the-art literature by identifying and finding interactions among challenges to SCP practices in the footwear supply chain. Five experts from five reputed and export-oriented footwear industries were assigned to find out the challenges regarding the SCP implementation and the most important 10 challenges were identified based on experts’ feedback. To assess the cause–effect relationship among challenges, a decision-making trail and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) technique, a powerful decision-making tool which can find the interactions among factors, was employed. In this study, results showed that five challenges were identified as causal group challenges and remaining five identified as effect group challenges. The causal challenges are lack of top management commitment, absence of market information of green products, inadequate training facility on SCP, motivational gap among consumers, and lack of rules and regulations on SCP practices. Those challenges have net positive influence on effect group challenges such as poor compliance practices, lack of latest technological facility, lack of acceptance on green products, lack of reverse logistics facility, and poor linkage and coordination among lead firms. These results will assist decision-makers to make strategic policy regarding implementing SCP in the footwear supply chain. This study is the first one which deals with the importance of SCP practices in the context of footwear industry, and it is also important for the sustainable development of footwear sector of Bangladesh.

Ensuring sustainable consumption and production (SCP) patterns is an important task for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 12 by 2030. To facilitate international and domestic collaboration toward regional SCP, we developed a collaborative workshop method to generate and structure ideas about consumption and production (CP) patterns and employed the procedures for emerging Southeast Asian countries at workshops in Japan and Thailand. The main focus was on Bangkok, and the goal was to identify the implications of SCP policies. The structuring of seventeen SCP patterns chosen from 525 CP patterns generated at the workshops helped to identify the important influential factors, policy interventions, and features of probable SCP patterns. The main conclusions were the following: (1) The viewpoints of consumers and providers are important for idea generation. The products and services, as well as the systems of CP patterns, should be targeted; (2) Transition, improvement of the quality of life, and digitalization are also key directions of SCP patterns in Bangkok; (3) Culture, infrastructure, and industry are major considerations for regional SCP policy; and (4) SCP policy instruments are broader than conventional environmental policy instruments, and expanding the scope of SCP policy should be discussed more widely, especially in Asian countries.

This chapter considers the contribution of business to sustainable consumption and production (SCP) and the way in which this contribution may be advanced through recognising both the experiences and the drivers of current approaches. It puts forth proposals for innovation and business models contributing to SCP. The chapter grows out of a research strand that I led on business and SCP as part of the EC funded Framework 6 Programme entitled 'Sustainable Consumption Research Exchange' (SCORE), of which I was a coordinating partner. SCORE surveyed the 'state of the art' in SCP through a diverse network of sustainability researchers and expertise from across Europe. A core team of researchers, myself included, brought together understanding from business, design, consumer behaviour and systems innovation policy in the key consumption areas of mobility, food and agriculture, and energy use and housing — responsible for 70% of the life-cycle environmental impacts of Western societies — with the aim of stimulating, fostering or forcing change to SCP theory and practice. The project research was disseminated through the publication of System Innovation for Sustainability, Vols. 1–4. In addition to this chapter, I co-authored the introduction, conclusion and a chapter entitled 'Energy Use in Houses and Buildings and Sustainable Consumption' in System Innovation for Sustainability 4: Case studies in Sustainable Consumption and Production (ed. S. Lahlou, Greenleaf Publishing, 2011).

Consumer demand and consumption, if shifted to a sustainable pattern, in theory, should influence producers to meet that demand with sustainable production processes, greater choice of green products, and different consumption options, for instance, services instead of products. At the same time, increased choice and expanded consumption options should drive down relative prices, make green goods and services more affordable and accessible, and create a closed cycle leading to sustainable consumption and production (SCP) system. The paper reviews different cases of resource efficient and cleaner production as well as sustainable products and services developed in Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, and Spain. These research cases were selected from the presentations at the second international conference “Sustainable consumption and production: how to make it possible,” held on September 28–30 in Kaunas, Lithuania. An overwhelming message of the review is that the best results could be achieved when all stakeholders work together for a common vision of SCP for current and future generations. Multistakeholder cooperation together with new economics approach is challenging, but essential for the planet currently imperiled by overpopulation and over-consumption and, for the first time in human history, facing the situation of breaching the planetary boundaries.

Sustainable consumption and production – Research, experience, and development – The Europe we want

This article analyses and assesses the integration of sustainable consumption and production (SCP) practices in the horticultural production of Kenyan micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) within the framework of the EU Switch Africa Green project ‘Green Horticulture at Lake Naivasha’ (GOALAN) in the Lake Naivasha basin, Kenya. The aim of the study is to understand what facilitates and hinders the uptake of SCP practices. Using qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, this article is based on a case study approach. The study looked into (1) 158 MSMEs (project beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries) regarding their adoption and implementation of SCP practices, as well as their encountered challenges, opportunities, and evidenced outcomes; and (2) five ‘best practice’ case studies from the project beneficiary group. Findings indicate some key factors influencing the decision of MSMEs to adopt and implement SCP practices. These factors encompass access to SCP know-how, the identification of potential benefits, access to specialized and reliable markets, access to finance, and access to infrastructure. Based on the findings, the study suggests that to promote the uptake and long-term implementation of SCP practices by horticultural MSMEs, it is key to build the capacity of MSMEs, improve financial capacity to invest in SCP measures, enhance access to markets through establishing new linkages with buyers and customers, and enable infrastructure.

Sustainable production, consumption, and livelihoods: global and regional research perspectives

Sustainable Consumption and Production Policy Options in Asia and the Pacific

Sustainable consumption and production for Asia: sustainability through green design and practice

At the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg 2002 all countries committed themselves to promote sustainable consumption and production (SCP) patterns, with developed countries taking the lead (United Nations 2005a). As a follow-up to the World Summit, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is pursuing the development of a ten-year framework of programmes on SCP, in support of regional and national initiatives (UNEP 2006). The promotion of SCP signifies a shift in environmental policies, which for many years have been focused on the production side. However, despite cleaner production and higher eco-efficiency of end-use appliances, overall environmental impact is still growing. That is why the consumption side has become an important issue in environmental policies as well. Both sides have to be addressed to reduce the overall environmental impact, particularly in industrialised countries. The promotion of SCP is a common task of governments, civil society organisations and the private sector (United Nations 2005a). This chapter deals with the role of business in SCP. It focuses on marketing as a business function that occupies a pivotal position between producers and consumers (Charter 2006). So far, marketing has not been involved or engaged in the SCP debate. The natural environment has hardly been considered by marketing theory and practice. As the natural environment changes as a result of increasing human pressure, the environment will become a key factor for marketing in the future (Belz 2006).

“The governance and practice of change of sustainable consumption and production.” Introduction to the ideas and recommendations presented in the articles in this special issue of the journal of cleaner production

In the framework of the European Union’s Sustainable Development Policy, the promotion of sustainable consumption and production patterns has been a key issue. The explanation is given by their capacity to address social and economic development within the carrying capacity of ecosystems and decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation. The EU has established an extensive range of proposals on sustainable consumption and production (SCP), which include an energy- and resource-efficient economy, circular economy, waste prevention and recycling, among others. This paper contributes, by using both factorial and regression analysis, to the identification of fundamental constructs that define SCP in the EU-28, their links with resource productivity and the role of governments and enterprises in its improvement by means of investment in research, development and innovation over the period 2001–2018. Some recommendations to policy-makers are proposed in the paper in order to take actions directly on SCP, such as promoting the use of recycled raw materials in public works, or imposing the need for Ecolabel certification to contract with public administration.