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The role of sustainable consumption in achieving
the Sustainable Development Goals
Lucia A. Reisch
Copenhagen Business School / C-BIG / CBS Sustainability
Invited talk at the Danish Ethical Trade Initiative Conference 2019:
“Hope ahead – Denmark as SDG pioneer through ethical trade”
Copenhagen, May 2 2019
CBS Sustainabilty
What do we talk about?
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Definition of „Sustainable consumption“
“The use of services and related products, which respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life while minimising the use of natural resources and toxic materials as well as the emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle of the service or product so as not to jeopardise the needs of future generation.” (UN SDG)
Source: Worldmapper.org
Ecological Footprint
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https://sdg-tracker.org/sustainable-consumption-production
Source: Peter Menzel „What I eat around the world“
Systems of (food) consumption
Definition of „Sustainable consumption“
“The use of services and related products, which respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life while minimising the use of natural resources and toxic materials as well as the emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle of the service or product so as not to jeopardise the needs of future generation.” (UN SDG)
„Consumption that simultanuously optimizes the
environmental, social, cultural and economic consequences
of the acquisition, use and disposition of goods and services
in order to meet the needs of current and future generations“
ChallengesConsumption as driver and problem
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We miss the Paris (COP 21) climate goals• 60% increase in carbon footprints of major cities worldwide (when using consumption-
based accounting) (C40 2018)
Rebound effects• Relative decoupling BUT no absolute decoupling
International labour standards and human rights under pressure• E.g. conflict minerals
Rise of the global middle class (expanded by 140 Mio annually)• Equity of carbon budgets? Climate migration?
SC is fundamentally a problem of inequality – and inequality prevails
Policies and innovations focusing on invidividual behaviours are good – but not enough
Policies and innovations fostering systemic change are needed
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Policies for sustainable consumption& production
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Action Plan for Sustainable Consumption
sufficiency
efficiency
consistency (cradle to cradle/ circular economy
collaborative consumption / Sharing Economy
prosumerism and self-production
Public procurement (social and environmental
standards)
Regulation and bans
Financial (dis)incentives
Empowerment
Nudges for Good
Partnerships
Sustainable consumption & production – systemic change
Distributed responsibility in actor coalitions (partnerships across sectors – e.g. food waste)
Infrastructures for sustainable mobility (choice architecture – e.g. active transport strategy)
Regulation, standards (e.g. ILO standards)
Prices: getting the prices right (e.g. CO2 tax, CO2 offsetting)
Changing cultural conventions and meanings (What is a status good? What is an agreeable temperature? What means “quality” of meat, textiles, investments?)
Community equity (public private ownerships, B-corporations, multi-stakeholder cooperatives)
Agencies focused on innovation for SC (market entry of sustainable start-ups, e.g. bioeconomy)
Living labs and experimental enterprise zones (e.g. working time, basic income)
Promising partnerships in value chains
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What gives me hope?
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Changing values
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2/3 of all households own a
smartphone
Instant feedback
Social norms & Social comparison
Simple, easy, intuitive & fun
Enlightened ICT in the service of sustainability
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Successful transformations (of whole industries) areunderway
Politicians like ---
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Thanks for your attentionCBS Sustainability
online:cbs.dk/sustainability
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