ASIA PACIFIC EXPERT MEETING · 2009-10-06 · Asia Pacific Expert Meeting Background Paper3 1. Introduction Unsustainable consumption and production patterns remain a firm constraint

Organised by

In co-operation with

ASIA PACIFICEXPERT MEETING

ON PROMOTINGSUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTIONAND PRODUCTION PATTERNS

YOGYAKARTA, INDONESIA21 – 23 MAY 2003

BACKGROUND PAPER

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16 May, 2003

United NationsEnvironmentProgramme (UNEP)

Government ofthe Republic ofIndonesia

United NationsDevelopmentProgramme (UNDP)

United NationsDepartment ofEconomic and SocialAffairs (UN DESA)

Contents

1. Introduction 3

2. Advancing sustainable consumptionand production patterns 5Cleaner Production defined 5Sustainable Consumption defined 7Integrating consumption and production activities 10

3. Asia Pacific issues and activities 11Regional issues and concerns 12Cleaner Production in Asia Pacific 14Sustainable Consumption in Asia Pacific 15

4. An integrated future 18Global efforts to develop integrated approaches 18Future challenges and priorities for Asia Pacific 19

Annex 1: Activity list for Asia Pacific 23Annex 2: UNEP Press Release (Feb 2003) 25Annex 3: Resources 27

Acknowledgements

Background Paper written by

Matthew Bentley

Under guidance of UNEP staff

Niclas SvenningsenBas de LeeuwWei ZhaoAnne Solgaard

With comments from

Chikako Takase (UN DESA)

This paper intends to serve asbackground for an Asia PacificExpert Meeting on PromotingSustainable Consumption andProduction Patterns. It includesa regional overview of issues,activities and future priorities.

The author would like to extendhis gratitude to everyone whocommented on the drafts.

Sydney, May 2003

www.uneptie.org/sustain

www.uneptie.org/cp

UNEP SustainableConsumption website:

UNEP CleanerProduction website:

Abbreviations and acronyms

ADB Asian Development BankCI Consumers InternationalCP Cleaner ProductionCPC Cleaner Production CentreCSD Commission on Sustainable DevelopmentDTIE Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (UNEP)EMS Environmental Management SystemsEST Environmentally Sound TechnologiesGEMF Global Ministerial Environment ForumGNI Gross National IncomeGP Green ProductivityIDCP International Declaration on Cleaner ProductionILO International Labour OrganisationLCA Life Cycle AssessmentNCPC National Cleaner Production CentreNGO Non-Governmental OrganisationsOECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and DevelopmentPPP Purchasing Power ParitySC Sustainable ConsumptionSD Sustainable DevelopmentSETAC Society of Environmental Toxicology and ChemistrySME Small and Medium-sized EnterprisesSPC Sustainable Production and ConsumptionUNCED United Nations Conference on Environment and DevelopmentUNDESA United Nations Department of Economic and Social AffairsUNDP United Nations Development ProgrammeUNEP United Nations Environment ProgrammeUNESCO United Nations Educational and Scientific OrganisationUNIDO United Nations Industrial Development OrganisationUSAID United States Agency for International DevelopmentWB World BankWSSD World Summit on Sustainable Development

Asia Pacific Expert Meeting Background Paper2

Asia Pacific Expert Meeting 3

1. Introduction

Unsustainable consumption and productionpatterns remain a firm constraint onsustainable development. Remedial actionsby various bodies, including UN DESA andUNEP, have expanded in recent years andsignificant results have been achieved formore sustainable production. This ishowever being offset by increases in overallconsumption levels. The problem is thatpopulation growth and economicdevelopment are driving increases inconsumption levels, which has the effect ofnegating environmental improvements madeat the production side. Increasedconsumption levels by almost 1 billionconsumers in developed countries and 800million middle-high income consumers indeveloping countries is puttingunprecedented pressure on naturalecosystems.

Greenhouse gas emissions continue toclimb, world forest cover has declined by2.4% since 1990, and a third of global fishstocks are at serious risk.1 In dire contrast tothe developing world’s emerging middleclass is the 2.8 billion people living on lessthan $2 per day. Social and environmentalconcerns, such as poverty, health, labourrights, deforestation, air pollution andbiodiversity loss are inextricably linked tounsustainable patterns of consumption andproduction.

The last half-century has been one ofunparalleled economic activity andsubsequent strides in human development.The world’s population has doubled to 6.2billion since 1950, while the gross worldproduct has expanded sevenfold in thesame period. Such trends have resulted inlarge increases in production andconsumption of energy, materials andconsumer goods. For instance, global oilconsumption and paper production haveboth more than tripled since the early1960s.2 If recent trends continue unabated,consumption expenditures are expected torise rapidly in coming years.

Twlr

Box 1A: Consumption inequalities

• Spending on overall householdconsumption worldwide increased 68per cent between 1980 and 1998.

• Almost 1.3 billion people live on lessthan $1 a day and close to 1 billioncannot meet their basic consumptionrequirements.

• 80 per cent of the total of $19.3 trillionin household consumption in 1998 tookplace in high-income countries, whilelow-income countries accounted foronly 4% of all private consumption.

• 200 million vehicles will be added to theglobal car fleet if car ownership inChina, India, and Indonesia reachesthe current world average of 90vehicles per 1,000 people, roughlydouble the number of cars in the UnitedStates of America today.

• World energy production rose 42 percent between 1980 and 2000, and isprojected under status quo conditionsto grow 150-230 per cent by 2050.

• 70 per cent of all freshwater withdrawalis for use in agriculture, whereinefficiency abounds; over half of thewater drawn for agriculture is lost toleakage and evaporation.

• Television ownership increased five-fold in the East Asia and Pacific regionbetween 1985 and 1997.

• The average citizen of the industrialworld consumes 9 times as muchpaper as the average citizen of thedeveloping world, althoughconsumption is rising fast in manydeveloping countries.

Source: UNEP 2003 (22nd Governing Councildiscussion paper)

Background Paper

he social and environmental consequencesill be dramatic. It is time for stakeholders to

ook to the challenges and opportunities withenewed vigour.

The inequalities in consumption are striking(see Box 1A). But poverty eradicationremains the most pressing issue. Over 2billion people worldwide battle to meet theirdaily consumption requirements. The AsiaPacific region is home to an estimated 70%of them. A key element of the outcomes ofthe 2002 World Summit on SustainableDevelopment (WSSD) was the need tointegrate the issue of production andconsumption patterns into sustainabledevelopment policies, including into povertyreduction strategies.

Northern consumption patterns are withoutdoubt unsustainable and will requireavailable intellectual and technological skillsto reorient the trends. In comparison, is theneed in much of the South for increasedaccess to crucial goods and services so thatpeople can find a way out of poverty.However, the changes must occur in respectof ecological and social factors.

The coexistence of very poor and very richpeople in developing countries, particularlyin Asia Pacific, should also be recognised instrategic thinking.

stimulation of a life-cycle economy,decreased externalisation of cost and makepractice of the polluter-pays principlewidespread. Importantly consumers must beinformed, educated and empowered.

A strengthened and integratedimplementation of consumption andproduction policies will be a vital asset inany de-linking efforts. Stimulating productand technology innovation along withconsumption patterns based on providingoptimal combinations of products andservices (product service systems) shouldalso be further explored (see Section 4).

The expectation is that goodwill agreementsmade since the announcement of theAgenda 21 goals (1992) which attest majorsocial and environmental stress toconsumption and production patterns, andthat propose sustainable consumption(“Chapter 4”) and cleaner production(“Chapter 20 and 30”) as solutions, will beupheld. In a positive development theWSSD (2002) Plan of Implementation(“Chapter 3”) calls for the “development of a10-year framework of programmes insupport of regional and national initiatives toaccelerate the shift towards sustainableconsumption and production patterns thatwill promote social and economicdevelopment within the carrying capacity ofecosystems.”

UNEP played a key role in the WSSDpreparatory process and will now pursue thegoals of the Plan of Implementation withgreat endeavour in co-operation with

Over 70% of Poor: Asia and the Pacific

Asia and the Pacific

Rest of the world

“China’s remarkably low per capitaconsumption pattern is an opportunity toavoid the mistakes of many other countriesthat have developed very high levels ofmaterial and energy consumption. Movingtowards more sustainable consumptionpatterns could lead to more competitivedomestic enterprises and greater access tointernational markets.”

China Council for International Cooperationon Environment and Development

“China is a developing country with a hugepopulation and limited per capita resources.So it is most important for China to advancesustainable consumption and productionand ensure sustainable development.‘Green consumption’ has been put on theagenda as the main theme for action in thecurrent century.”

China Consumers Association


A process of de-linking economic growthfrom social and environmental degradationmust involve an increased efficiency inenergy and water uses, waste reduction,

international organisations (incl. UN DESA,UNIDO, OECD), governments, industry,NGOs and consumer groups worldwide.


2. Advancing sustainable consumption andproduction patterns

In the past decade the ‘consumption andproduction patterns’ agenda has clearlyswitched from discussion and non-integratedinitiatives to implementation and progressmonitoring.

A range of actors, including governments,NGOs, industry and internationalorganisations like UN DESA, UNDP, UNIDOand OECD are involved.

UNEP, through its Division of Technology,Industry and Economics (DTIE), has playedan active role in promoting sustainableconsumption and production worldwide. TheUNEP Cleaner Production (CP) programmelaunched in 1989 and the SustainableConsumption SC) programme launched tenyears later in 1999 continue to mobilisepolitical action, raise awareness, train keypeople and build capacities, conductresearch and measure progress.

This section discusses the two maininterconnected components of the plan toachieve sustainable consumption andproduction patterns: 1. Cleaner Production(CP), 2. Sustainable Consumption (SC). Theultimate need for further integration ofconsumption and production strategies andinitiatives is also explored.

Some major SC and CP accomplishmentsare highlighted, see Section 3 for specificachievements in the Asia Pacific region.

Cleaner Production defined

Cleaner Production in essence is the pursuitto conserve materials and reduce waste. It isa holistic environmental managementstrategy, a continuous approach that goesfurther than one-off activities.3 A range oftechniques are on offer that can induceincreased productivity, cost reductions forindustry, and reduced risk to theenvironment.

Ever since its inception in 1989, UNEP’sCleaner Production programme has beeninstrumental in promoting CleanerProduction (CP) around the world. CP wasrecognised by the Rio Earth Summit’sAgenda 21 as an important strategy forminimising environmental impacts fromproduction processes. Major references toCP and environmentally sound technologies(EST) are made in both Chapter 20 andChapter 30 of the Agenda 21 document.

UNEP DTIE’s definition of CP presents asystemic approach, encompassing process-orientated concepts such as eco-efficiency,pollution prevention, waste minimisation,and source reduction. “Cleaner Production isthe continuous application of an integratedpreventive environmental strategy toprocesses, products, and services toincrease overall efficiency, and reduce risksto humans and the environment. CleanerProduction can be applied to the processesused in any industry, to products themselvesand to various services provided to society”.

Progress thus far…

Awareness raising actions have beensuccessful in spreading knowledge of CPacross a wide range of stakeholders. TheNational Cleaner Production Centres(NCPCs) and Cleaner Production Centres(CPCs) have conducted seminars andworkshops and manuals, videos andbrochures published. Other innovativeapproaches have also emerged, includingthe Eco-Efficiency Calendar for Small andMedium Enterprises (SMEs) and the Eco-Accounting Book for Households in Japan.

Two main instruments in spreading CPimplementation have been theestablishment of National CleanerProduction Centres (NCPCs) and adoptionof an International Declaration on CleanerProduction (IDCP). The UNEP/UNIDONCPCs and other cleaner productioncentres (CPCs) play a critical role in building


national capacities and encouragingnetworking on CP (see Box 2A). The IDCPoutlines a set of principles that encourageCP implementation and measure progress.The IDCP also acts to improveunderstanding of CP and provides anopportunity for all stakeholders todemonstrate their support (see Box 2B).

Conducting demonstration projects hasbeen key to CP implementation. Quite oftensuch projects are necessary to allow for thetesting, adaptation and optimisation ofequipment or technology and to buildcapacity within industry. NCPCs are keysupporters of this process, and collectivelythey have conducted more than 1000demonstration projects in diverse industrialsectors. There have also been a largenumber of successful demonstrationscarried out in developed countries includingPRISMA in the Netherlands, Landskrona inSweden, SPURT in Denmark, andAIRE/CALDER and Catalyst in the UK.4

International donors such as UNIDO, UNEPand USAID have supported many of theseefforts.

Information sharing and networking activitieshave flourished in recent years. UNEP hasorganised seven biannual InternationalHigh-Level Seminars on CP, while a host ofother regional roundtables and workshopshave also taken place. Other networkingplatforms that share experiences include theGreening of Industrial Networks (GIN),International Green Productivity Association(IGPA), World Cleaner Production Society(WCPS), InWent’s (formerly CDG) LatinAmerican Network, and the Canadian C2P2network. The International CleanerProduction Information Clearinghouse(ICPIC) provides sources on which centresare active in CP, fundamental CPdocuments and key CP related web-sites.

Collaborative approaches are needed foreffective CP implementation. Stakeholdersare increasingly joining efforts in innovativepartnerships. Examples of partnershipsinclude Waste Minimisation Clubs,community-business partnerships (e.g.Victorian Environment Improvement PlanProgramme) and business-businesspartnerships (e.g. National ProductivityCouncil in India).

CP education and training is anotheremerging area. There are currently about 50undergraduate/graduate CP educationprogrammes worldwide. Journals dedicatedto CP have also been established, includingthe Journal of Cleaner Production andJournal of Industrial Ecology. Training hasalso continued to expand with various train-the-trainer activities supported by trainingkits from UNEP, UNIDO and InWent alongwith others.

FabdNRUC

Box 2A: National Cleaner ProductionCentres (NCPCs)

In order to establish models for CP capacitybuilding at the national level, UNIDO andUNEP initiated a National CleanerProduction Centre (NCPC) programme.Today, 23 NCPCs span the globe ensuringadoption and further development of the CPconcept. NCPCs conduct training, publishguidance manuals and carry out CPOpportunity Assessments. NCPCs havebeen instrumental in setting up localCleaner Production centres (CPCs) ofwhich there are now over 50 worldwide.CPCs are able to provide CP solutionstailored to local conditions. China, forexample, has a network of 24 CPCs in thevarious provinces which draw on thetechnical experience of the NCPC.

NCPCs have been identified as componentpartners for major projects being sponsoredby international donors such as USAID,Swiss Government, and the World Bank.

The global reach and network that has beenestablished by the centres is significant.The wealth of knowledge available ensuresthe provision of better services to thoseaspiring to CP expertise. Centres are now inthe position to further expand their servicepackage from the mainstays ofdemonstration projects and otherawareness raising and capacity buildingfunctions.

Background Paper

inancial support is needed to promote CPnd CP investments. Financing CP haseen supported by a number of internationalonors and in particular the government oforway. Examples include the NEFCOevolving Facility for CP investments,NEP CP Financing Programme, and theleanTech Fund.

However, overall the progress toward thedevelopment of CP policies and strategieshas been slow, though the kind of policiesadopted has expanded. Developingcountries have been shown to mainly preferthe use of grants, research, subsidies anddevelopment programmes, whereascountries such as Australia, the UnitedStates and the countries within theEuropean Union have made legislativechanges that focus on promotion andvoluntary instruments. While Australia maylead the region in terms of adopting anational CP policy, other countries haveincluded the CP approach in their nationaldevelopment plans, including China, India,Indonesia, New Zealand, Republic of Korea,Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) hasmade progress promoting policyimplementation in the Asia Pacific region,including integrating CP into industrialdevelopment in Sri Lanka (see Box 3B). Butmore remains to be done before governmentpolicies are fully based on life cycleapproaches.

Sustainable Consumptiondefined

The need to combat unsustainableconsumption patterns gained crucialinternational attention at the Rio EarthSummit (UNCED) in 1992. The 4th Chapterof Agenda 21 (adopted at the 1992 Summit)deals explicitly with ‘Changing ConsumptionPatterns’ and presents strategies forachieving the Agenda 21 goals.

In 1995, the United Nations Commission onSustainable Development (UN CSD)adopted the working definition of sustainableconsumption as: ‘the use of services andrelated products which respond to basicneeds and bring a better quality of life whileminimising the use of natural resources andtoxic materials as well as the emissions ofwaste and pollutants over the life cycle so asnot to jeopardise the needs of futuregenerations.”

Since then, global action has evolved frommulti-stakeholder discussions andclarification of meanings to a range ofpromising initiatives, including newinnovative approaches proposed by UNEPthat will be discussed in Section 4.

Sustainable Consumption (SC) was bornfrom the need to address a range ofchallenges including social andenvironmental impacts arising from a well-documented explosion in globalconsumption expenditure. SC alsoencompasses important factors such asequity, poverty, quality of life, labour rights,life-cycle thinking, and an appreciation thatSC can mean both consuming more andconsuming differently, depending on thecircumstances. Responsibilities may differ –with developed economies expected to takethe lead – but it is clear that all countries and

Box 2B: International Declaration onCleaner Production (IDCP)

In 1998, UNEP launched the InternationalDeclaration on Cleaner Production (IDCP).As of January 2003, the IDCP had over 375signatories and had been translated into 15languages. The IDCP acts as an effectivetool to mobilise commitment from thevarious stakeholders. Signatories havebeen gathered from national governments,companies, universities, associations andlocal and state authorities.

Specific goals of the InternationalDeclaration on CP include the following:

• Encouraging support for the adoption ofthe CP approach as a prudenteconomic investment;

• Renewing and intensifying thecommitment to CP by industrial andgovernmental leaders so that theybecome the local promoters of thisstrategy;

• Promoting international cooperationand technology transfer to maximizethe results and synergies among CPinitiatives worldwide;

• Diversifying and broadening theawareness beyond the typical users ofCP, thereby, increasing the overalldemand; and

• Spreading awareness of CP as apreferred solution to the unsustainableproduction and consumption of goodsand services, in a way that society andcommunity leaders understand exactlyhow this strategy works and thebenefits



all stakeholders must play a role in pursuingsustainable consumption patterns.

Progress thus far…

An impressive array of actors have begun topromote and achieve sustainableconsumption. UN agencies and internationalorganisations including the UN DESA,UNEP, OECD, UNDP, along with NGOs,research institutes, consumer organisations,industry and governments haveimplemented various initiatives over the pastten years.

Amongst the most widespread are initiativesfocusing on reuse and recycling, eco-design,eco-labelling and certification programmes,product testing by consumer groups andawareness-raising campaigns. Technologyand scientific research has played a partwith tools such as environmentalmanagement systems (EMS), life-cycleapproaches, eco-design, green supplychains, sustainable procurement andenvironmental reporting are beingdeveloped.

Arising from growing consumer interest inthe ‘world behind the product’ and a desireto mobilise action in demand-side activities,UNEP launched its SustainableConsumption (SC) programme in 1999. TheUNEP SC programme has recently becomethe principal driver of global action in thesustainable consumption field. Sectors suchas retail, market research, and advertisinghave been engaged, along withgovernments, youth and consumer groups inresearch, information sharing, capacitybuilding and progress monitoring activities.In 2002, UNEP launched a new Life-CycleInitiative that is bringing together industryleaders, academics and policy makers (seeBox).

UNEP’s series of informal regionalconsultations on SC in Africa, Asia Pacific,Eastern Europe and Latin America and theCaribbean, have been instrumental inadvancing action-planning, informationsharing and strategic thinking on the issue.UNEP recognises the special needs ofdeveloping countries. Specifically in terms ofhow SC is linked to poverty eradication andcreating business opportunities. Therefore,

UNEP supports capacity buildingprogrammes that raise awareness andinform and train decision-makers.

The UN DeparAffairs (DESA)on ‘changing cpatterns’ througachievements the developmefor Changing CPatterns and eConsumer Prosustainable conalso embarkedconsumption inwaste, water aSC trends and along with policHuman Develofocusing on codevelopment redocument for a

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Web: www.une

The UNEP / SETAC LifeCycle Initiative builds on theISO 14040 standards andintends to establishapproaches with bestpractice for a Life CycleEconomy.

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of information on the for successful application ofife Cycle Thinking

of information about theetween LCA and other tools

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Background Paper

tment of Economic and Social supports a work programmeonsumption and productionh which some notable

have resulted. For example,nt of a core set of Indicatorsonsumption and Productionfforts to update the UNtection Guidelines withsumption. The OECD has

on work on householddicators for such sectors as

nd energy, and has outlinedpolicies in OECD countriesies to promote SC.5 UNDP’spment Report (1998)nsumption patterns in humanmains a key resourcell concerned.

an acknowledgement of the policies to consumer

UN General Assembly (1999)eneral UN Guidelines for

tection to include SC. As partmonitoring activities, UNEP inh Consumers Internationally carried out a review of

these Guidelines (2002).6 The survey of fifty-two national governments found generallyslow progress in policy implementation.Although many signs of hope were alsouncovered. A case in point is that more than80 per cent of Governments surveyed foundthe Guidelines useful, and the same numberhave initiated information campaigns relatedto sustainable consumption (see Box 2C).

recycling and alternative transport. In fact,82% of governments identified that theircountry had implemented some form ofrecycling practices. Many however, note thatsubstantial improvements are required.

Encouragingly, some countries have begunto introduce environmentally sensitive fiscalpolicies, including eco-taxation and subsidyreform. Extended producer responsibilityrequirements are now enforced in variouscountries, including at least eight in Asia. Inthese cases producers are required to takeback packaging and sometimes entireproducts such as automobiles and electronicequipment, promoting waste minimisation.The global retail market for organic produceclimbed from $10 billion in 1997 to $17.5billion in 2000, and an estimated 17 millionhectares of agricultural land are nowmanaged organically worldwide.

Consumers themselves have beenresponsible for some of the developments.Consumer power continues to encouragegovernment policy development andindustry action. A number of governmentshave supported regional or national labellingprogrammes, including Singapore,Germany, India and the Nordic countries.International labelling initiatives such as theForest Stewardship Council and theInternational Federation of OrganicAgriculture Movements supplement nationaland regional schemes that cover sectorssuch as textiles, laundry detergents, energyproduction and tourism.

Studies into consumer trends andbehavioural elements continue to proliferate.UNEP has co-ordinated research into youthand global consumer segments and also onsustainable consumption indicators in recentyears. The joint UNEP and UNESCO “Is theFuture Yours?” research project surveyedover 10,000 young people in 24 countriesabout their consumption patterns andlifestyles. The advertising andcommunication industry has also supportedinvestigations into youth consumptionpatterns. Further research on a wide rangeof topics must still be conducted.

Box 2C: Asia Pacific governmentssupport UN SustainableConsumption Guidelines

“The UN Sustainable ConsumptionGuidelines are a good reference forgovernment to use in formulating andstrengthening consumer protection policies.The Government is yet to fully implementthem.”

Herry Hadisanjoto,Directorate of Consumer Protection, MOIT,

Indonesia

“The UN Guidelines are useful forpolicymakers”

S. K. Joshi,Director, Ministry of Environment and

Forests, India

“The Guidelines contain some usefulrecommendations for the Government totake into account in policy development,and provide a sound framework for thedevelopment of strategies to fostersustainable consumption within Australia.”

Kerry SmithDirector, Sustainable Industries Branch,

Ministry of Environment and Heritage,Australia

“The Guidelines are both easy tounderstand and useful for policy making.The ideas displayed in the Guidelines areuseful in the sense that they clarify thenecessary policies required for promotingsustainable consumption patterns.”

Tetsuya KamijoAssistant Director, Policy and Coordination

Division, Global Environment Bureau,Ministry of the Environment, Japan


Countries like Mauritius, India, Senegal,Chile, and Indonesia have launchedawareness-raising campaigns on issuessuch as energy and water saving, waste

It is true that successes have been scored inthe lead up to the WSSD and beyond. Butsignificant challenges remain. Global action


will require further partnership building andcollaborative approaches as proposed bythe WSSD Plan of Implementation andUNEP’s 22nd Governing Council decisions(February 2003).

Integrating consumption andproduction activities

There exists a widening appreciation amongSC and CP experts worldwide thatintegrated approaches to deal with currentunsustainable trends must be found andimplemented.

Traditional strategies of approachingconsumption and production in separateunconnected initiatives have provedunsuccessful in dealing with problems thatare holistic in nature. Agreement often existson what strategies are required. And SC andCP are both cornerstones in the desiredoutcomes. But operating in specific spheresof action (production focused vs.consumption focused) overly simplifies acomplex assortment of systems.

The limitations of production-focusedstrategies have been exposed by work onsustainable consumption. Consumptiondoes not provide an alternative approach,just ‘the other side of the coin’. It is systemsof production and consumption which needto change – urgently – and changingpatterns of consumption requires anunderstanding of the complex features ofsuch systems which shape particular modesof living, the markets for goods and servicesand the means by which they are produced.7

UNEP has appreciated for some time thatcleaner production and sustainable

consumption have more in common thanjust a shared goal of achieving sustainabledevelopment. This is why UNEP has beenaddressing CP and SC in an integratedmanner. Products and services are thetargets of both approaches. CP aims atmanufacturing products and / or providingservices that minimise environmentalimpact. Whereas, SC pursues the mostefficient use of a product or service,combining consumer satisfaction withminimal environmental impact. For example,UNEP’s Product-Service Systems andSustainability booklet (2002) contains casestudies on combinations of products andservices that seek to optimise environmentalperformance while facilitating financial gainsand supporting the local community; win-winsolutions for the environment, economy andsociety.

New life-cycle approaches that considerproduction-consumption systems areneeded. The challenge will be to developstrategies for change that incorporate thecomplexities of such systems. Whileensuring that the appropriate actions can becommunicated, understood and embracedby all stakeholders (see section 4 for adiscussion of global efforts to find integratedsolutions).

Actions have to be sensitive to the needsand conditions of both developed anddeveloping countries (common butdifferentiated responsibilities). Solutions andapproaches derived from the experienceand practice of developing economiesshould be taken into account. Change willcome only as a result of genuine North-South and East-West dialogue and multi-stakeholder efforts.

Box 2D: Environmental concerns in Asia Pacific region (UNEP, GEO-3)

• More than half Asia’s drylands are affected by desertification;• Of the 15 cities in the world with the highest levels of particulates, 12 are in Asia;• The region has the lowest per capita availability of freshwater, with about half its population living with

severe water stress;• Half the region’s coral reefs are degraded and threatened and more than 60 percent of its mangroves

have been lost;• About three-quarters of the world’s species extinctions have occurred on isolated islands in the region;• Positive changes have included improvements in governance by public authorities, growing

environmental awareness and public participation, & increasing environmental awareness in industry.

3. Asia Pacific issues and activities

The Asia Pacific region A recent doctoral study (2003)10 estimates

B entley 2003

sub-Sahar

North Africa/Mi

Latin America/C

Eastern/Souther

North

Wester

As

Number of

is the world’s mostpopulous (3.2 billion)and also very diverse inrespect to culture,geography, economiesand demography. Itaccounts for over 40%of the global economy

and is home to 70% of the global poor.8

Rapid urbanisation and overall populationgrowth has led to resource extraction,serious environmental problems and varioussocial dilemmas. Economic growth hasbrought necessary development, but hasalso put pressure on natural ecosystems.Industrial pollution and the attendantproblems of air and water pollutionconstitute the region's foremostenvironmental crises.9

The enormous rural populations still exist inthe developing countries of the region, butvast numbers are migrating to cities fuellinga growing and robust middle class. Theconsumption demands of these globalconsumers (consumers that share similartastes and habits, i.e. products, access toIT) are adding further stress to the alreadyfragile social and environmental systems.These consumers, aided by advertising andmultinational corporations, are emulating thelifestyles of their brethren in the developedworld.

Asia Pacific to be home to 684 million globalconsumers – middle-high incomeconsumers earning above PPP$7,000 GNIper capita. India, China, Korea andIndonesia account for 63% of globalconsumers in the region and 25% of globalconsumers’ worldwide. Today, only twenty-six percent of the region’s populationsatisfies such individual medium to high-income levels. Thus, the scene is set for asignificant increase in their numbers ifeconomic growth continues.

The coexistence of both very rich and verypoor people across the region furthersubstantiates the need for a diverse range ofoptions used to promote sustainableconsumption and production. Theincreasingly service-based economies ofJapan and Korea, large agricultural andnatural resource suppliers like Australia andNew Zealand and production-focusedpowerhouses such as China will all need toconsider strategies and initiatives that bestfit their circumstances.

Activities that pursue more efficient andcleaner production processes must combinewith the need for increases in consumptionin some countries and less or more efficientconsumption in others. Of course, whilerespecting environmental and socialsystems. Integrated approaches may be oneway to resolve these imbalances.

Poverty eradication, consumption scarcity,


labour rights, subsidy reform, populationgrowth and urbanisation, consumerprotection and the globalisation of trade andinformation are some of the priorities thatthe developing countries of the region haveidentified as peripheral to achievingsustainable consumption and production.The developed countries on the other handshould consider their responsibilities insupporting regional change while alsofinding ways to reorient their own currentconsumption and production patterns towardsustainability, i.e. energy and waterefficiency, waste reduction, product design,

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

Millions

an Africa

ddle East

aribbean

n Europe

America

n Europe

ia/Pacific

Global consumers per region middle-high income consumers (above PPP$7,000 GNI per capita)

polluter-pays principle, consumer education,and the stimulation of a life-cycle economy.

Regional issues andconcerns

Asia Pacific is strategically important in anylegitimate attempts to achieve sustainableconsumption and production for all. Thelarge population, range of economies andenvironmental conditions, mix of rich andpoor people and the diverse cultural andpolitical landscape make the region achallenge for sustainable consumption andproduction promoters and policy-makers.

It is clear that the earth’s natural ecosystemswill not be able to support an Asia Pacificregion that emulates present-day Europe orNorth America. Therefore, tactics must relyon new innovative life-cycle approaches and‘leapfrog’ practices. The meeting of basicneeds and poverty elimination is crucial, butdevelopment must come in a form thatrespects environmental and social systemsin the region. Just as importantly, developedcountries in the region should find ways toreorient their current unsustainableconsumption and production patterns towardsustainability and support their developingneighbours in sustainable development.

Total production output in most sectors andservices in the region is expected to climbover the coming decade, regardless of anyimprovements made by more efficientproduction processes. The increasedproduction of motor vehicles, householdappliances, food, clothing, energy andtransport, along with new information andcommunications equipment such as mobilephones and mobile data-transfer devices,pose threats to the environment. Tourism,aviation and some sports activities are alsoraising concern. The forces of urbanisation,globalisation, lifestyle changes and thedepletion of basic natural resources in someareas further accentuate these trends.Cleaner production activities in combinationwith sustainable consumption strategiessuch as behavioural change, recycling andreuse will need to be pursued in anintegrated manner to offset social andecological disturbances.

UNEP’s Global Status 2002 on SustainableConsumption and Cleaner Productionidentified some key regional concernsrelating to globalisation and the adoption ofsustainable consumption and productionpatterns:

• poverty and consumption scarcity;• population growth;• the globalisation of communication and

information;• globalisation of trade;• the role and power of trans-national

corporations;• intellectual property rights and the

Agreement on Trade Related IntellectualProperty Rights (TRIP);

Box 3A: Consumption pressure perperson (WWF, 1998)

Taiwan, China 3.42 Thailand 1.52United States 2.74 Philippines 0.99Korea Rep. 2.35 Indonesia 0.79Japan 2.35 Pakistan 0.78Canada 2.35 China 0.85Spain 1.92 India 0.47

1 = world average consumer in 1995

Urban population as % of total(UNDP, 2001)

1999 2015

China 31.6 40.7Fiji 48.6 60.0India 28.1 35.9Indonesia 39.8 54.8Korea, Rep. 81.1 88.2Malaysia 56.7 66.4Philippines 57.7 67.8

Human Poverty Index (UNDP, 2001)

China 24 Fiji 37India 55 Indonesia 38Malaysia 13 Nepal 77Pakistan 65 Sri Lanka 31Thailand 21 Vietnam 45

Number of TVs in millions (UN, 2000)

1990 1997

China 309 400India 27 63Indonesia 10 14Japan 75 86



• the process of urbanisation;• the role and impact of tourism and;• consumer protection.

Add to this a call by participants of regionalconsultations on consumption andproduction patterns to better integratesustainable consumption and cleanerproduction strategies and initiatives. Alongwith other regional factors including theneed for subsidy reform and fair trade,greater involvement by industry (includingSMEs), strengthened regulatory frameworksby governments (SC Guidelines, IDCP), de-linking economic development fromenvironmental stress, and consumerinformation (eco-labelling) andempowerment.

Asia Pacific’s current consumption pressureper capita is around half that of WesternEurope (WWF, 1998). It is from this fact thatthe South may derive its greatest advantagefrom adopting a sustainable consumptionand production form of development.Developing countries should be made awareof the opportunities awaiting them shouldthey move toward more sustainableconsumption and production patterns, asidentified by countries such as China.Imposing more sustainable patterns couldlead to more competitive domesticenterprises and greater access tointernational markets.

Asia Pacific consumers are increasinglyconcerned and aware of their consumptionimpacts on the environment. A recent UNEPglobal study (Global consumers, 2000)included analysis of two cities in the region(Mumbai/Bombay and Sydney). The surveyfound that consumers in developingcountries to be generally more concernedabout such impacts than consumers indeveloped countries. Over sixty percent ofconsumers in Mumbai said that they werevery much or quite concerned about theeffects of their consumption on theenvironment. More than half of these sameconsumers said that they either always,most of the time or often considered the ‘lifebehind’ the products they buy. While 45% ofconsumers surveyed in Sydney indicatedthat they at least often consider the ‘lifebehind’ products. These trends shouldinspire some hope. Policy-makers and

industry need to act to develop theinfrastructure necessary for consumers topursue more sustainable lifestyles.

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Source: GCC research, MDB 22000

New York

Lagos

Paris

Sydney

Bombay

Sao Paulo

Life behind the productRespondents who consider the 'life' behind the products they buy

Always

Most of the time

Often

Some specific limitations relating to cleanerproduction promotion in the region couldinclude11:

• Insufficient awareness and politicalcommitment.

• Insufficient enforcement ofenvironmental legislation.

• Limited access to financing.• Lack of easy access to cleaner

technologies.• Limited outreach to smaller companies.• Lack of transparency.

Some specific limitations relating tosustainable consumption advancement inthe region could include12:

• Lack of knowledge and belief in theopportunities.

• Insufficient political commitment.• Lack of support from industry sectors

such as retail and finance.• Rules on misleading and ambiguous

claims are needed to ensure thatlabelling initiatives provide clear,transparent and reliable information onthe environmental impacts of productsand services.

• Consumer education and behaviouralchange by middle-high incomeconsumers.

A more detailed evaluation of possible futureregional challenges and priorities will becovered in Section 4.

Cleaner Production in AsiaPacific

The diverse nature of the region hasunsurprisingly ensured a range of actionsand varying levels of CP advancement.Developed economies such as Australia,New Zealand, Japan and Korea have beeninvolved in CP promotion for years, whileother economies including Laos and Nepalhave only started moving along the CP path.

CP summary of activities

Although CP uptake has been generallyslow. Australia and New Zealand haveconverted CP into policy and planningefforts, while both Australia and Japan offerfinancial support for CP initiatives in theregion. India, Korea and China have madesignificant strides in the CP area, particularlyin training, networking and implementation.

contributions. Some of the major CPprogrammes in the region include:

• UNIDO and local NCPC collaboration onCP demonstration projects in India andChina. The target was SMEs in anumber of key sectors.

• The five-year (1997-2001) China-Canada Co-operation Project in CleanerProduction included activities on trainingand awareness raising, CP developmentplans for priority sectors and policiesand regulations for CP implementation.

• Green Productivity (GP) promotion bythe Asia Productivity Organisation(APO) has resulted in GP demonstrationprojects being completed in China,Thailand, India, Hong Kong andSingapore in the last few years. APOhas also initiated GP promotionprogrammes in Fiji, India, Indonesia,Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines,Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. GPand CP are considered relatively similar.

The national governments of China,Vietnam, Korea, Thailand, Philippines, alongwith individual organisations in Australia,Indonesia, Mongolia, and Vietnam aresignatories to the International Declarationon Cleaner Production (IDCP). The IDCPcurrently has over 300 signatoriesworldwide, with almost half of them comingfrom the Asia Pacific region (see below).

Box 3B: Asian Development Bank(ADB) promotes CP policies

ADB selected five countries (Philippines,Indonesia, Vietnam, India and Thailand) toparticipate in a Regional EnvironmentalTechnical Assistance (RETA) programme.The RETA initiative (2001) promoted CPpolicies and practices in the five countries.

Training was provided on subjects such aspolicy development and CP planning andmerging areas for CP applications to alarger audience of Asian nations.Participating country experiences weredrawn on to develop generic guidelines fornational policy development and strategicplanning. Processes were also put in placeto facilitate regional networking, cooperationbetween assistance agencies and otherinterested stakeholders in Asia.


The UNEP/UNIDO National CleanerProduction Centres (NCPC) have been theprincipal drivers of CP in Asia Pacific.NCPCs exist in China, India, Vietnam,Republic of Korea and Sri Lanka. The AsiaPacific region is presently home to sixteenpercent of the world’s NCPCs and CPCs.

CP activities in the region encompasstraining, capacity building and demonstrationprojects, often supported by external donor

Encouraging support has come in the way ofloans from organisations such as the AsianDevelopment Bank (ADB) and the WorldBank. For example, ADB has initiated CPloan projects/programs in China, Thailandand Vietnam and technical assistance in CP


to Sri Lanka. Economic instruments havealso been instigated in many countries,resulting in a range of successes. Forexample, Australia, Sri Lanka, Singaporeand Vietnam offer special credit lines for CP.While Hong Kong (China), Indonesia andthe Philippines have introduced taxes andfees on resource consumption or wastedischarge.

Training and networking activities in theregion continue to expand. Demonstrationprojects, capacity building and trainingprogrammes have been particularlysuccessful in countries like India and China.Four regional roundtables on CP have beenheld in the last four years, in Bangkok,Brisbane, Manila and Chiang Mai (Thailand).National roundtables, various workshopsand training meetings, along with electronicinformation platforms further advance CPknowledge and understanding in the region.

Australia, China (including Taiwan), India,Indonesia, New Zealand, Republic of Korea,Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand haveincluded CP elements in nationaldevelopment plans. A National Strategy forCleaner Production has been developed bythe Australian and New ZealandEnvironment Conservation Council(ANZECC). The Strategy includesimplementation promotion, capacity buildingand progress measuring components. TheRegional Environmental TechnicalAssistance Programme (RETA) that wasestablished by the ADB promoted cleanerproduction policies and practices in fivecountries in the region (see Box 3B). ADBcontinues to support CP implementation inthe region via a range of other projects.

UNEP has further supported the regionalpromotion of CP by conducting a globalreview of cleaner production and sustainablework since Rio. The Global Status Report2002 includes a regional overview of AsiaPacific.

As with SC implementation in the region, thewide variety of socio-economic, political andcultural conditions require the range ofoptions used to promote CP to be diverseand flexible.

Sustainable Consumption inAsia Pacific

Progress toward sustainable consumption inAsia Pacific has thus far been slow.However, owing to the diverse makeup ofthe region, trends are difficult to establish.This is best encapsulated by the broadrange of actions implemented to date bygovernments, as identified by a UNEP andConsumers International survey (2002) ofconsumption and production policies in theregion. Countries like Japan, Australia andthe Republic of Korea have started toimplement a wider range of policies thanPacific island nations such as Fiji andKiribati. But some activities, namelyinformation campaigns on energy and watersaving, have occurred throughout most ofthe region.

SC summary of activities

A number of actors have made headway onpromoting sustainable consumption inrecent years.

International organisations such as UNEPand UNDP have been active in the region.UNEP has inspired discussion and builtcapacities in the region by conductingresearch and organising regionalroundtables and workshops on sustainableconsumption. As part of their regional seriesof consultations on the topic UNEPorganised the Workshop on SustainableConsumption for Asia Pacific (Malaysia,August 2001) with Consumers International,CDG and the Australian Government.

As part of their progress monitoring activitiesUNEP, in partnership with ConsumersInternational, conducted a global review ofnational government policies to promotesustainable consumption. The 2002 report,Tracking Progress: Implementingsustainable policies, found generally slowprogress by the 52 governments surveyedon implementing policy in accordance withthe benchmark UN Guidelines for ConsumerProtection, which include a section onsustainable consumption.

The Asia Pacific region was stronglyrepresented in the global review with 12


governments participating in the survey andthree supplying national case studies for thereport (China, Japan, Australia). Othercountries were partially responsive to theexercise and solid contacts wereestablished, including with Pakistan, Nepal,Bangladesh, Malaysia, Brunei and thePhilippines.

The participating Asia Pacific countrieswere:

• Australia• China, People’s Republic of• Fiji• Hong Kong, China, SAR• India (received Sept. 2002)• Indonesia, Republic of• Japan• Kiribati, Republic of• Korea, Republic of• New Zealand• Sri Lanka• Vanuatu

Governments have started to act moredecisively to bring about sustainableconsumption patterns in the region.Although progress in many policy areas,namely economic instruments, producttesting, designing indicators to measureprogress and carrying out research, remainsrelatively weak. Some positive trendsappeared, such as 85% of responding AsiaPacific governments had implementedinformation campaigns related tosustainable consumption. The activitiesranged from the Clean Water andSustainable Forest programmes inIndonesia to waste minimisation and reusecampaigns in Sri Lanka to educationcampaigns on recycling in Kiribati andVanuatu.

A couple of the standout achievementsincluded China’s Law on Protection ofConsumer Rights and Interests, publicityand education programmes, and a 30%sales tax reduction for light vehicles; Japan’sLaws on green procurement, recycling andwaste management and financial incentivesfor buying electric, natural gas, methanoland hybrid vehicles; and Australia’s “GreenGames 2000 Initiative”, recyclingprogrammes on aluminium cans, mobile

phones, batteries, newsprint and waste oil,Environment Industries Action Agenda and atax on Sydney car park spaces. At leasteight countries in Asia have instituted “take-back” laws requiring companies to recycle orreuse packaging discarded by consumers.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

% (yes)

Aw

are

Mo

dif

y

Mo

nit

ori

ng

Info

cam

pai

gn

s

OECD

non-OECD

UN Guidelines’ awareness, modification,monitoring of implementation and information(Source: UNEP/CI, 2002)

The need for further dissemination ofinformation was highlighted, with only half ofthe responding Asia Pacific countries awareof the existence of the UN SustainableConsumption Guidelines prior to receipt ofthe survey. Encouragingly, 84% ofgovernments surveyed in the region hadstarted to implement sustainable practices intheir own operations, while 75% had startedto impose fiscal instruments, comparingfavourably with global figures of 70% and56% respectively.

The UN Guidelines were overwhelminglysupported by Asia Pacific governments withalmost eight in ten claiming they are easy tounderstand and useful for policymaking (seeBox 2C). However, compliance monitoringremains a problem with just over sixty percent of governments conducting reviews ofprogress toward sustainable consumption.

The Asia Pacific region was second only tothe OECD segment of countries in terms ofoverall implementation of the eight selectedpolicy areas from the UN Guidelines.However, the ratings only measured a startto policy implementation.

defining needs and life-cycle basedapproaches.

Industry actions in Asia Pacific have beenmixed with manufacturing and naturalresource companies in countries likeAustralia and Japan supporting moreefficient and cleaner practices, while furtherengagement with and support from sectorssuch as retail and finance will be crucial forany significant improvements inconsumption concerns in the region.

Consumer groups and NGOs throughout theregion have been identified as beinginstrumental in recent efforts to promotesustainable consumption, mostly viainformation campaigns and research. Therehas been a proliferation in the number andsize of consumer groups in the region in thelast few years, e.g. in Thailand, Philippines,

Box 3C: UNEP youth forum in Sydney

Australia will host the first event of UNEP’snew global strategy for children and youth,approved last month by environmentministers and high level delegations from130 countries. The Eco-Innovate 03 Forum,initiated by Bayer, the University of NewSouth Wales (UNSW) and UNEP, will takeplace at UNSW from July 14 to 18, 2003.

The 4-day programme, to involve high-profilespeakers, discussion forums, hands-ondesign sessions, and mentoring by businessand technology leaders, will attract morethan 100 young people aged 15-23 fromAustralia, New Zealand, Singapore,Thailand, Indonesia, The Philippines, Chinaand India. The forum will include variousactivities on sustainable consumption andproduction patterns.

From UNEP Press Release, March 2003


UNEP has conducted research in the regionon consumption patterns and lifestyles ofyouth and global consumers. The UNEP andUNESCO “Is the Future Yours?” projectsurveyed over 10,000 young people in 24countries (including Thailand and Australia).The UNEP global consumer survey of 1,000consumers worldwide (including Mumbaiand Sydney) witnessed similar findings tothe UNEP/UNESCO youth survey showingconsumers in developing countries weregenerally more concerned about the impactof their consumption patterns than those indeveloped countries. UNEP’s work on youthand sustainable consumption continues toadvance with dissemination of a newinteractive sustainable consumption trainingkit (youthXchange) due in countries in AsiaPacific in 2003.

UNEP is also engaging the advertisingsector in Asia Pacific through the UNEPAdvertising and Communication Forum andgovernments, industry and the researchcommunity through the UNEP/SETAC LifeCycle Initiative. The Japanese Institute ofAdvanced Industrial Science andTechnology (AIST) and UNEP co-hosted aworkshop on sustainable consumption inTokyo, 19-20 March 2003. Some of the keysubjects that were discussed at theworkshop included research on consumerawareness and acceptance, the question of

Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh.

Consumers International has beenresponsible for a number of sustainableconsumption campaigns since the adoptionof Agenda 21. For example, ‘GreeningConsumer Choice?’ was published in 1995to examine environmental labels, and CI’sRegional Office for Asia and the Pacificconducted a nine-country examination ofhousehold consumption patterns13 in theregion (1997) and also distributed a series ofcase studies, entitled ‘A Matter of Living onEarth’. Other relevant work included thereport, ‘Meeting Needs, ChangingLifestyles’, issued at the World ConsumerRights Day on March 15, 1997 and theimpressive collection of books andcampaign materials as support to consumerorganisations in promoting sustainableconsumption on green testing, green claimsand green guidance.14

Consumers have used their power of choiceto change consumption patterns in theregion. For example, Thai consumers haveused information from an appliance-labellingprogramme to increase the market share ofenergy efficient, single-door refrigeratorsfrom 12 per cent in 1996 to 96 per cent in1998. Whereas, carbon dioxide emissions inChina fell by 6-14 per cent between 1996and 1999 owing to improved energyefficiency and reduced coal use, while itseconomy grew by 22-27 per cent.15


4. An integrated future

Global efforts to developintegrated approaches

Although valid attempts have been made inthe past decade to align consumptionactivities and production activities in overallstrategies, new innovative approaches arenow required. UN agencies, UN DESA(changing consumption and productionpatterns) and UNEP (integrating sustainableconsumption and cleaner productionprogrammes) have laid the groundworkalong with other actors such as the NGO-dialogue International Coalition onSustainable Production and Consumption(ICSPAC). But consumption and productionissues to date have rarely been dealt with ina holistic manner. This being a key obstacleto social and environmental improvement.

Various chapters of Agenda 21, the UNSustainable Consumption Guidelines,International Declaration on CleanerProduction and a host of other globalagreements have pursued elements ofconsumption-production integration. But theWSSD (2002) outcomes clearly state theneed for a process of implementation thattakes into account “science-basedapproaches, such as life-cycle analysis”.

Through an extensive process of negotiationand discussion at the WSSD and itspreparatory committee meetings(prepcoms), agreement was made by allgovernments on a Plan of Implementation topromote sustainable consumption andproduction patterns. Chapter 3 of thedocument calls on all parties to “encourageand promote the development of a 10-yearframework of programmes in support ofregional and national initiatives to acceleratethe shift towards sustainable consumptionand production to promote social andeconomic development within the carryingcapacity of ecosystems by addressing and,where appropriate, de-linking economicgrowth and environmental degradationthrough improving efficiency andsustainability in the use of resources and

production processes, and reducingresource degradation, pollution and waste.”(see Box 4A)

In short, work must continue to improveproduction processes; to accelerateinnovations in product design; to promotescience-based, reliable tools for assessingthe environmental impacts of products

Box 4A: Changing unsustainablepatterns of consumption andproduction

(a) Identify specific activities, tools, policies,measures and monitoring andassessment mechanisms, including,where appropriate, life-cycle analysisand national indicators for measuringprogress…

(a) Adopt and implement policies andmeasures aimed at promotingsustainable patterns of production andconsumption, applying, inter alia, thepolluter-pays principle.

(a) Develop production and consumptionpolicies to improve products andservices, while reducing environmentaland health impacts…

(a) Develop awareness-raising programmeson the importance of sustainableproduction and consumption patterns,particularly among youth…especially indeveloped countries, through, inter alia,education, public and consumerinformation, advertising and othermedia…

(a) Develop and adopt, where appropriate,on a voluntary basis, effective,transparent, verifiable, non-misleadingand non-discriminatory consumerinformation tools to provide informationrelating to sustainable consumption andproduction…

(a) Increase eco-efficiency, with financialsupport from all sources … forcapacity—building, technology transferand exchange of technology withdeveloping countries and countries witheconomies in transition, in cooperationwith relevant international organizations.

Paragraph 14, from the WSSD Plan ofImplementation, September 2002


throughout their life-cycles; and toencourage environmentally and sociallysensitive purchasing decisions byindividuals, industries and public institutions.

UNEP, and its partners, intend to build aframework for action in which producers andconsumers can move together along thepath to sustainable development, as calledfor in the WSSD Plan of Implementation andthe Chairman’s Summary from UNEP’s 22nd

Governing Council in February 2003 (seeBox 4B).

Broad-based coalitions will be critical ifsolutions that go beyond focuses onproducts and industrial sectors are to befound. Remaining important is capacitybuilding and technology transfer todeveloping countries.

A function-based approach may be one wayof ensuring integration of future consumptionand production work. This approach focuseson meeting human needs for critical servicesand fulfilling key functions, such as providingnutrition, shelter, clothes, health, knowledge,mobility, leisure and security. The functionsare then analysed in a systematic way to (1)evaluate their economic, environmental andsocial implications, (2) carry out pilotprojects to develop and implement optionsfor improvements and (3) monitor and reportthe progress achieved.16

The following describes an example of afunction-based approach for the productionand consumption of books17. Three types ofinterventions could be:

• encouraging cleaner production effortsof the pulp and paper productionprocess;

• facilitating the improved design ofbooks, resulting in books made ofreduced, or more environmentally soundpaper and easier to recycle;

• engaging sectors that could contributeto meeting the needs or preferences forbooks, including encouraging andsupporting them to develop additionaloptions, such as e-books, radiodissemination and story-telling.

Benefits of this approach are threefold:

• it contributes to improved environmentalgains as process and/or productimprovements will eventually reach aplateau;

• it helps achieve better economic resultsby identifying new business andinnovation opportunities;

• it stimulates social and cultural progressthrough the fulfilment of knowledge andentertainment needs, as well asopportunities for jobs in new servicesectors.

This new holistic approach will providebetter solutions for improving theperformance of consumption and productionsystems. Interventions that affect the wholesystem rather than those that simply placethe burden elsewhere will be identified andnew stakeholders will be involved.Governments for example, can implementpolicy instruments with stakeholders, suchas the retail industry, that may havesignificant indirect impacts on actorsupstream or downstream in the chain.

Future challenges andpriorities for Asia Pacific

As already stated, prevailing trends in AsiaPacific including an enormous and growingpopulation, urbanisation, poverty, demandsfor improved quality of life, coexistence ofvery rich and very poor people along withdiverse cultural, political and economicconditions, all pose varying challenges tothe region. Environmental and social stressrelated to these factors must be curbedthrough integrated and innovative multi-stakeholder approaches. Implementingsustainable consumption and productionpatterns will result in flow-on benefits toother problem areas.

There are some common challenges forthose promoting CP and SC in the region.Including insufficient political commitment,weak capacities to identify solutions, lack ofknowledge about CP benefits and SCopportunities, and general scarcity ofinformation and policy frameworks.

The region will continue to witness anexplosion in new industry sectors, such as


information technology, communications(e.g. mobile phones), tourism and aviation,which each pose further challenges to CPand SC promoters. Including increasedwaste, resource use, and variousenvironmental impacts.

An overriding challenge remains the de-linking of economic development fromenvironmental stress. The pursuit of qualityof life improvements in the region isfundamental, but change must occur withrespect to the environment. Governments,business and consumers should considertheir actions in a long-term perspective andaddress ecological and social concerns intheir decision-making. Informationdissemination and capacity building will beuseful. While life-cycle-based approachesand an integration of consumption andproduction initiatives should lead to moreequitable outcomes.

The UNEP Global Status 2002 report hasidentified some specific proposals for actionfor both sustainable consumption andcleaner production in Asia Pacific. Theproposals for sustainable consumptionactivities were agreed upon at a regionalmulti-stakeholder event in Malaysia (2001),they are:

• Governments should take a leadershiprole in ensuring sustainable governmentprocurement policies, by enforcingregulations, and economic and socialinstruments, and by sector-specificpolicies in such areas as land use,transport, energy and housing.

• Governments should support UNconsumer protection guidelines andwiden debate about consumptionpatterns, the environmental impacts ofconsumer choices and behaviour,efficient use of materials, energy andwater, and of recycling.

• Governments should encourage,promote and incorporate sustainableconsumption in all sector policies anddevelopment plans.

• Support multi-stakeholder regionalcoalitions for sustainable consumptionwhere appropriate collaborative

activities can be developed andsustained. These should involveconsumer, youth, government,business, industry and unions.

• Business should be supported to‘domesticate ’ the globalisation processby making a sustainable use of regional(natural and human) resources andsupporting traditional technologies andknowledge, and culturally specificproduction, products and services.

• Business should accept an obligation forresource efficiency and eco-design – inthe uptake of industry methodologies,investment and development programs,and the creation of products andservices, which deliver environmentallysustainable consumption in cost-effective and socially benign ways.

• Micro-small and medium-sizedenterprises need to be actively involvedand consumption approaches linkedclosely to cleaner production and eco-design, within a life-cycle framework.18

The Global Status 2002 cleaner productionrecommendations for Asia Pacific include:

• Spread CP into more relevant sectors(e.g. agriculture, mining, tourism).

• Emphasise CP solutions for SMEs (thesuccess of approaches such as WMC’sin India and CSS in Taiwan, Chinashould be built upon and shared withother SMEs).

• Develop/enhance institutional capacityfor CP promotion and implementation.

• Strengthen CP education (there is anurgent need to build CP education intoschool and university curricula, and theNCPCs should collaborate witheducational institutions to develop suchcourses).

• Use EMS as a vehicle to mainstreamCP (given the widespread acceptance ofEMS and ISO certification, CP could bemainstreamed through the use of theseinstruments).


• Integrate CP into the planning processand in re-industrialisation/expansion.

• Sensitise the financial sector towardsCP (for long term internalisation of CPfinancing, it is important that innovativefinancing models, as well as newavenues for private sector involvement,be developed).

• Initiate policy level change.

All stakeholders in the region may alsoconsider the outcomes and conclusions onSCP advancement from the WSSD (see Box4A) and from UNEP’s 22nd GoverningCouncil (see Box 4B).

Some of the main priorities for the regioninclude the need to implement policy (e.g.polluter-pays principle), identify appropriateactivities and tools (e.g. life-cycleapproaches and national indicators formeasuring progress), improve products andservices, provide better awareness andinformation for consumers (e.g. advertisingcampaigns and eco-labels) and enhancecapacity building and technology transfer fordeveloping countries (e.g. leapfrogging).

In addition, new market opportunities shouldbe explored, subsidies reformed, trainingand capacity building provided, innovation inindustry promoted (e.g. SMEs), regionaldifferences respected, and consumption andproduction integrated in the developmentagenda. There is also a pressing need forthe establishment of regional and sub-regional initiatives (see Annex 1 and ActivityQuestionnaire).

Box 4B: UNEP Governing Council, February 2003

Decision 22/6. Promotion of sustainable consumption and production patterns

Recalling paragraph 14 of the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, whichstates that fundamental changes in the way societies produce and consume are indispensable for achieving globalsustainable development. All countries should promote sustainable consumption and production patterns, with thedeveloped countries taking the lead and with all countries benefiting from the process, taking into account the Rioprinciples including, inter alia, the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities as set out in principle 7 of theRio Declaration on Environment and Development. Governments, relevant international organizations, the privatesector and all major groups should play an active role in changing unsustainable consumption and production patterns,

Recalling also the work undertaken by the United Nations Environment Programme since 1992 to promotecleaner production, pollution prevention and sustainable consumption, in cooperation with other United Nationsorganizations and other stakeholders, Recognizing the results in the field of cleaner production, pollution prevention andeco-efficiency already achieved and documented in regular progress reports published on the occasion of the biannualhigh-level conferences on cleaner production, and the remaining and emerging challenges with respect to sustainableconsumption and production,

1. Requests the Executive Director to strengthen sustainable consumption and production activities of the UnitedNations Environment Programme within its existing mandate and subject to available resources, and consistentwith the recommendations adopted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development;

1. Requests the Executive Director to strengthen existing eco-efficiency, cleaner production and sustainableconsumption programmes, such as the United Nations Environment Programme’s regional cleaner productionroundtables and its partnership with the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, including facilitatingthe transfer of environmentally sound technologies, especially to developing countries and countries witheconomies in transition, and activities to stimulate the design of sustainable products and services;

1. Invites the Executive Director to build upon the United Nations Environment Programme’s existing activities andinitiatives with relevant governmental institutions and the private sector, including with the finance sector, touroperators and the telecommunications industry, to contribute to strengthening the role of business and industry inpromoting sustainable consumption and production patterns;

1. Requests the Executive Director to support initiatives and activities to enhance corporate responsibility andaccountability, within the existing mandate of the United Nations Environment Programme, as referred to inparagraphs 18 and 49 of the World Summit Plan of Implementation;

1. Requests the Executive Director to develop and facilitate consumer awareness campaigns and provide informationto Governments to assist in implementing sustainable consumption approaches, such as those contained in theUnited Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection;

1. Requests the Executive Director to further develop training, awareness raising and capacity-building programmesin support of Governments, local authorities and business and industry, in particular in developing countries andcountries with economies in transition, on sustainable production and consumption in cooperation with otherrelevant United Nations organizations and international intergovernmental organizations;

1. Requests the Executive Director, in implementing the present decision, to take fully into account, inter alia, genderissues and differing circumstances in regions and countries, in particular the characteristics, development needsand capabilities of developing countries, particularly small island developing States and countries with economiesin transition, so that all countries can benefit from the process, by setting up, or contributing to, regionalprogrammes, building upon existing networks and activities;

1. Requests the Executive Director, within the mandate of the United Nations Environment Programme, to take anactive role, working in cooperation with Governments, other relevant United Nations organizations andintergovernmental organizations and involving other stakeholders, in pursuit of the development of a 10-yearframework of programmes in support of regional and national initiatives to accelerate the shift to sustainableconsumption and production patterns, as set out in paragraph 15 of the Plan of Implementation, and to bringforward at the next special session of the Governing Council/Global Environment Ministerial Forum, in 2004, areport on its activities, with regular reporting thereafter;

1. Requests the Executive Director to report to the Commission on Sustainable Development, as appropriate, on theprogress of the work done;

1. Invites Governments to provide financial and technical assistance and capacity-building to enable developingcountries and countries with economies in transition, especially least developed countries, to take an active part inthese activities.



Annex 1

Activity list for Asia Pacific

This list is a non-exhaustive sample ofactivities/initiatives on sustainableconsumption and production in the region.

Regional/sub-regional activities

• The UNEP/UNIDO network of NationalCleaner Production Centres (NCPCs)and affiliated Cleaner ProductionCentres (CPCs) stimulate regionalpromotion and implementation ofcleaner production. The NCPCs/CPCshave been instrumental in driving CP inAsia Pacific. Demonstration projects,training seminars and publishingguidance manuals are among their coreactivities. NCPCs have beenestablished in China, India, Vietnam,Republic of Korea, and Sri Lanka.NCPCs have also expanded their reachby setting up local CPCs; for examplethere are currently 24 CPCs in thevarious Chinese provinces. Asia Pacificaccounts for sixteen percent of theworld’s NCPCs and CPCs. The regionalnetwork of NCPCs/CPCs is growing andcontinues to provide its wealth ofknowledge on CP to a broaderaudience, including the support ofregional and sub-regional CP activities.

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB),under the auspices of its RegionalEnvironmental Technical Assistance(RETA) programme, has promotedcleaner production policies andpractices in selected member countries.The Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam,India and Thailand have receivedassistance to develop the policyframework, integrated action plans andinstitutional capabilities they need forrapid and efficient adoption of CP. TheADB has also encouraged CP adoptionthrough a range of other projects incountries like China, Thailand andVietnam.

• UNEP and Consumers Internationalmeasured progress by Asia Pacificgovernments to implement sustainableconsumption policies in a 2002 globalreview. The project Tracking Progress:Implementing sustainable consumptionpolicies surveyed 12 governments in theAsia Pacific region. The survey team,working through both UNEP’s and CI’sregional offices, liaised with a total ofapproximately 30 governments and atleast 25 consumer organisations. Thesurvey team raised awareness of theUN Sustainable ConsumptionGuidelines (the basis for the survey) andestablished contact databases andanswered queries about the UNGuidelines (including sending copies ofthe Guidelines and providing furtherinformation on SC to many governmentsand consumer groups in the region).

• The Asia Pacific Roundtable for CleanerProduction (APRCP) was initiated in1997 when the first regional roundtablemeeting on CP was held in Bangkok,Thailand. The APRCP mission is tofoster dialogue among industry,government, academia, and non-governmental organisations in theregion to address pollution problemsand work together on collectivesolutions. Roundtable goals includepromoting information exchange amongits members through newsletters, e-maillist servers, technical journals, specialpublications, conferences, andsymposia. The main event of APRCP isthe regional CP Roundtable meeting,which is organised biannually. Forfurther information, please refer to:www.aprcp.org

• InWent’s Sustainable Consumption andCleaner Production Capacity Buildingfor Cleaner Production Centers will befacilitated in more than 10 countries inthe summer of 2003. The trainingpackage is available on the web:http://www.uneptie.org/pc/cp/library/training/cdgpack/start.htm


National activities

• Japan’s laws on green procurement,recycling and waste management andfinancial incentives for buying electric,natural gas, methanol and hybridvehicles support sustainableconsumption. The “Law Concerning thePromotion of Procurement of Eco-Friendly Goods and Services by theState and Other Entities (Law onPromoting Green Purchasing)", whichwas enacted in May 2000, encouragesconsumers to seriously consider theenvironmental aspects of products andservices when purchasing them. Formore information see:http://www.env.go.jp/en/lar/green/index.html

• China’s Law on Protection of ConsumerRights and Interests, publicity andeducation programmes, environmentallabelling, energy-saving campaigns forhousehold electrical appliances,certification of environmentally soundproducts and 30% sales tax reductionfor light vehicles. On 15 March 2001, theChina Consumers’ Association incollaboration with other relatedgovernment departments launched alarge-scale “Green Consumption”campaign.

• The Australian and New ZealandEnvironment Conservation Council(ANZECC) developed a NationalStrategy for Cleaner Production in 1996.The Strategy strives to advanceimplementation, capacity building andprogress measuring. This strategyevolved out of extensive consultationbetween various stakeholders and aseries of background consultancyprojects. The strategy document isavailable at:http://www.environment.gov.au/epg/environet/eecp/pubs/nscp.pdf

• New CP legislation in China: China hasnow adopted a law that requires allcompanies above a certain size andwhich do not meet the environmentalstandards set by the authorities, toeither close down, or to undertake a CPaudit. The audit will give the companysome grace time to achieveimprovements through CP, before theauthorities decide to take action againstthem (and hopefully they would comeinto compliance with the help of CP).

• A range of training seminars andworkshops to promote CP have beenconducted all over the Philippines.These have been supported by localand international donor organisations,industries, government agencies, andnon-government institutions. Companiesin the Philippines have initiated,developed and implemented differentprograms that contribute to CP. Theyhave also actively participated in variousprograms and projects. As of 2001,eighty-three companies are ISO 14000certified and adopt cleaner productionapproaches. Various stakeholders,particularly industry, have alsodeveloped case studies anddemonstration projects on CP.


Annex 2

Marketing 'Cool' Life-Styles Key toSelling Clean and Green Products

Psychologists and human behaviorists arebeing enlisted by the United NationsEnvironment Programme (UNEP) in apioneering new initiative to save the planet.

Nairobi, 4 February 2003 - Experts believethat the traditional messages fromgovernments and green groups, urging thepublic to adopt environmentally friendly life-styles and purchasing habitats, need to beoverhauled.

There is concern that many of thesemessages are too 'guilt-laden' anddisapproving and instead of 'turning peopleon' to the environment are switching themoff.

Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of UNEP,said today: " Messages from governments,exhorting people to drive their cars less oradmonishing them for buying products thatcause environmental damage, appear not tobe working. People are simply not listening.Making people feel guilty about their life-styles and purchasing habits, is achievingonly limited success".

Indeed studies indicate that only five percent of the public in northern countries areembracing so-called sustainable life-stylesand sustainable consumerism.

"So we need to look again at how we enlistthe public to reduce pollution and live inways that cause minimal environmentaldamage. We need to make sustainable life-styles fashionable and 'cool' as youngpeople might say. We also need to make itclear that there are real, personal, benefitsto living in harmony with the planet, " hesaid.

UNEP experts today cited campaigns byKIA, the Korean car manufacturer, and theEuropean detergent industry, as twoexamples of selling positive,

environmentally-friendly, consumerism andlife-styles.

KIA has a campaign in the United Kingdomwhich urges people not to use cars for shortjourneys, only long distance ones. Itprovides a mountain bike with every new carpurchased and helps organize "walkingbuses". These create networks of parentswho assist in escorting children to school onfoot.

The European "Wash Right" campaignextols the virtues of low temperaturewashing by emphasizing the benefits to theclothes as well as the energy-saving made.

The turning to social scientists andbehaviorists is being carried out underUNEP's Sustainable ConsumptionProgramme and Life Cycle Initiative which islooking at a wide range of issues, fromlabeling to eco-friendly product design, todeliver more environment-friendlyconsumption.

It compliments initiatives, some of which arebeing orchestrated by UNEP, to develop anetwork of cleaner production centresacross the globe to reduce pollutingmanufacturing processes.

Sustainable consumption patterns, and howgovernments, industry and the public canplay their role in delivering these, are amongthe key issues being discussed this week atUNEP's 22nd Governing Council takingplace in Nairobi, Kenya.

Over 50 young people from across the globeunderlined the importance of the issue in astatement to ministers:" We commit toawareness raising campaigns to lifestylechange at a community level and requestgovernments to further encouragesustainable consumption. We support theUNEP YouthXChange programme as anexcellent example of work in this field".

It provides case studies of youthorganization's that have made a real


difference in achieving sustainablepurchasing patterns. For example, a fashioncompany in Brazil, Copa Roca, have made areal hit and a profitable business out ofmaking clothes out of re-cycled fabrics.

Jacqueline Aloisi De Larderel, Director ofUNEP's Division of Technology, Industryand Economics which is spearheading thenew initiative, said: " Sustainableconsumption is not about consuming less, itis about consuming differently, consumingefficiently, and having an improved quality oflife. It also means sharing between thericher and the poorer".

"This is not just an issue for so called richcountries. Many rapidly industrializing,developing countries, such as China, arekeenly aware of the environmental threatsposed by uncontrolled consumerism and therisks of not making productsenvironmentally-friendly".

She said it was no coincidence that theministerial debate on consumption patterns,scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday) is beingled by Zhenhua Xie, the ChineseEnvironment Minister and Borge Brende, theNorwegian Environment Minister.

Indeed China is among 52 countries,surveyed by UNEP in collaboration withConsumers International. It found that manycountries are trying to promote sustainableconsumption through a variety of measuresincluding public awareness campaigns and'green taxes" that favor environmentally-friendly goods.

China, for example, has factored sustainableconsumption into its Law on the Protectionof Consumer Rights and Interests. Actionsinclude publicity and educationalprogrammes, ecolabelling, certification ofenvironmentally-sound products and 30 percent sales tax reductions for light, lesspolluting, vehicles.

Bas De Leeuw, Co-ordinator of UNEP'sSustainable Consumption Programme, saidthey were also working with industry andbusinesses to make products and servicesmore environmentally-friendly way.

He cited Kluber, a leading lubricantscompany based in Munchen. It hasdeveloped a mobile laboratory that visitsindustries to ensure their machinery isopertaing efficiently. Benefits includereductions in smoke, vibrations and noisepollution.

Allegrini in Italy, which supplies detergents,uses a mobile shop to sell direct toconsumers reducing the need for term totravel by car.

The UNEP initiative is also drawing up'green procurement' information material forgovernments and local authorities indeveloped and developing countries so thattheir big purchasing power isenvironmentally-sound.

"Many developing countries are keen to buyenvironmentally-sound products andservices but do not know where to go. Weare developing an information network andInternet service so that if they, say, want tobuy environmentally-friendly pens orvehicles, they know where to go," said MrDe Leeuw.

For More Information Please Contact EricFalt, Spokesperson/Director of UNEP'sDivision of Communications and PublicInformation, on Tel: 254 2 623292, Mobile:254 (0) 733 682656, E-mail:[email protected] or Nick Nuttall, UNEPHead of Media, on Tel: 254 2 623084,Mobile: 254 (0) 733 632755, E-mail:[email protected]

UNEP News Release: 2003/09


Annex 3

References

UNEP. 2002. Global Status 2002. SustainableConsumption and Cleaner Production. Paris:UNEP.

UNEP/CI. 2002. Tracking Progress: ImplementingSustainable Consumption Policies. Paris:UNEP/CI.

UNEP. 2003. “Discussion paper on promotingsustainable consumption and productionpatterns”, 22nd UNEP Governing Council andGlobal Ministerial Environment Forum, 02/03

UNEP. 2003. “Life-Cycle Approaches to SustainableConsumption and Production”, Workshopbackground paper, 3-4 March 2003.

UNDP. 1998. Human Development Report. New York:Oxford University Press.

OECD. 2001. “Policies to promote sustainableconsumption: An overview”. Paris: OECD.

OECD. 2002. Towards Sustainable HouseholdConsumption?: Trends and Policies in OECDCountries. Paris: OECD.

UNEP. 2003. Global Environment Outlook 3. London:Earthscan.

UNEP. 2002. Implementing sustainable consumptionand production policies: North-South, South-South, and East-West partnerships. Informalexpert meeting report, Paris, France, 05/02

UNEP. 2001. Consumption Opportunities: strategies forchange. Geneva: UNEP

UNEP/CI/CDG/Australian Government. 2001.“Workshop on Sustainable Consumption forAsia Pacific. Background Paper” Malaysia: CIROAP.

UNEP. 2002. Advertising a Better Quality of Life for All,WSSD Advertising Industry Sector Report.Prepared by the World Federation ofAdvertisers and the European Association ofCommunication Agencies.

UNEP. 2001. Cleaner Production: A guide to sources ofinformation. Paris: UNEP.

UN DESA. 1998. Measuring changes in consumptionand production patterns: A set of indicators.New York: UN.

ICSPAC. 2002. Waiting for Delivery: A civil societyassessment of progress toward sustainableproduction and consumption. U.S.: ICSPAC.

UN DESA. 1999. Revised and expanded UnitedNations Guidelines for Consumer Protection

UNEP. 2000. “Consumer Trends and Expectations: Aninternational survey focusing onenvironmental impacts”. Paris: UNEP.

BENTLEY, M. 2003. “Global consumers andsustainable consumption: An internationalstudy”. Ph.D. dissertation, AGSIRD, Paris.

BENTLEY, M. D. AND B. DE LEEUW. 2000.Sustainable Consumption Indicators. (Articleincluded in the UNESCO Encyclopaedia ofLife Support Systems). Paris: UNEP.

Consumers International. 1997. A Discerning MiddleClass? Malaysia: CI ROAP

Consumers International. 1998. “India’s Middle ClassConsumers: Their (sustainable) consumptionpatterns”

* References Included a range of other cleaner production andsustainable consumption information sources assessable onthe UNEP DTIE web-site: www.uneptie.org/pc

About UNEP DTIEThe mission of the UNEP Division of Technology, Industryand Economics (UNEP DTIE) is to help decision-makers ingovernment, local authorities, and industry develop andadopt policies and practices that: are cleaner and safer;make efficient use of natural resources; ensure adequatemanagement of chemicals; incorporate environmentalcosts; and reduce pollution and risks for humans and theenvironment.

UNEP DTIE, with its head office in Paris, is composed ofone centre and four branches. It focuses on raisingawareness, improving the transfer of information, buildingcapacity, fostering technology co-operation, partnershipsand transfer, improving understanding of environmentalimpacts of trade issues, promoting integration ofenvironmental considerations into economic policies, andcatalysing global chemical safety.

UNEP DTIE39-43 quai André Citroën75739 Paris cedex 15France

ENDNOTES 1 UNEP. 2003. “Discussion paper on promoting sustainableconsumption and production patterns”, 22nd UNEP GoverningCouncil and Global Ministerial Environment Forum, Feb, 20032 Ibid.3 UNEP CP programme documents4 UNEP. 2002. Global Status 2002: SC and CP5 OECD. 2001. “Policies to promote sustainable consumption:An overview”. Paris: OECD. and OECD. 2002. TowardsSustainable Household Consumption?: Trends and Policies inOECD Countries. Paris: OECD.6 UNEP/CI. 2002. Tracking Progress: Implementing SustainableConsumption Policies. Paris: UNEP/CI.7 UNEP. 2002. Global Status 2002: SC and CP8 Source: UNEP ROAP.9 UNEP. 2002. Global Status 2002: SC and CP10 BENTLEY, M. 2003. “Global consumers and sustainableconsumption: An international study”. Ph.D. dissertation,AGSIRD, Paris.11 UNEP. 2002. Overview of the Status of Cleaner Production inAsia and the Pacific. UNEP ROAP.12 UNEP. 2003. SCP discussion paper, 22nd UNEP GoverningCouncil and Global Ministerial Environment Forum, Feb, 200313 Consumers International. Regional Office for Asia andPacific. 1997. A Discerning Middle Class?, Malaysia: Jutaprint.14 For more information about Consumers International’sactivities and publications on sustainable consumption visit theweb-site at: http://www.consumersinternational.org15 UNEP. 2003. “Discussion paper on promoting sustainableconsumption and production patterns”, 22nd UNEP GC, 02/03.16 UNEP. 2003. “Life-Cycle Approaches to SustainableConsumption and Production”, Workshop paper, 3 March 2003.17 Ibid.18 In addition, the UNEP Global 2002 – SustainableConsumption (p. 35-37) provides a list of Actions andApproaches for each major target (business, consumers,international agencies and government).

Tel: +33 1 44 37 14 50Fax: +33 1 44 37 14 74E-mail: [email protected]: www.uneptie.org

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ASIA PACIFIC EXPERT MEETING · 2009-10-06 · Asia Pacific Expert Meeting Background Paper3 1. Introduction Unsustainable consumption and production patterns remain a firm constraint