View source for Finance:Sustainable Development Goal 12

{{Short description|12th of 17 Sustainable Development Goals to ensure responsible consumption and production}}
{{Infobox project
| name = SD Goal 12
| logo = Sustainable Development Goal 12ResponsibleConsumption.svg
| mission_statement = Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
| commercial = No
| type =[[Engineering:Nonprofit organization|Non-Profit]]
| location = Global
| founder = {{wipe|United Nations}}
| established = 2018
| website = {{URL|sdgs.un.org}}
}}

'''Sustainable Development Goal 12''' ('''SDG 12''' or '''Global Goal 12'''), titled "responsible consumption and production", is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the {{wipe|United Nations}} in 2015. The official wording of SDG 12 is  "Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns".<ref name=":17">United Nations (2017) Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 6 July 2017, [[:File:A RES 71 313 E.pdf|Work of the Statistical Commission pertaining to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development]] ([https://undocs.org/A/RES/71/313 A/RES/71/313])</ref> SDG 12 is meant to ensure good use of [[Earth:Resource|resource]]s, improve [[Physics:Efficient energy use|energy efficiency]] and sustainable [[Physics:Infrastructure|infrastructure]], provide access to basic services, create green and decent jobs, and ensure a better [[Philosophy:Quality of life|quality of life]] for all.<ref name="sdg tracker sdg 11" /> SDG 12 has 11 targets to be achieved by at least 2030, and progress towards the targets is measured using 13 indicators.
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Sustainable Development Goal 12 has 11 targets. The first 8 are ''outcome targets'', which are: implement the 10‑Year Framework of Programs on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns; achieve the [[Social:Sustainable management|sustainable management]] and efficient use of [[Social:Natural resource|natural resource]]s; reducing by half the [[Social:Per capita|per capita]] global food waste at the [[Finance:Retail|retail]] and consumer levels and the reduction of food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses; achieving the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle; reducing waste generation through prevention, reduction, [[Physics:Recycling|recycling]] and reuse; encourage companies to adopt sustainable practices; promote public [[Social:Procurement|procurement]] practices that are sustainable; and ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and [[Philosophy:Awareness|awareness]] for [[Sustainable development|sustainable development]]. The three ''means of implementation targets<ref name=":222">{{cite journal |last1=Bartram |first1=Jamie |last2=Brocklehurst |first2=Clarissa |last3=Bradley |first3=David |last4=Muller |first4=Mike |last5=Evans |first5=Barbara |date=December 2018 |title=Policy review of the means of implementation targets and indicators for the sustainable development goal for water and sanitation |journal=npj Clean Water |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=3 |doi=10.1038/s41545-018-0003-0 |s2cid=169226066 |doi-access=free}} [[File:CC-BY_icon.svg|50x50px]] Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</ref>'' are: support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity; develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts; and remove market distortions, like fossil fuel subsidies, that encourage wasteful consumption.<ref name=":172">United Nations (2017) Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 6 July 2017, [[:File:A RES 71 313 E.pdf|Work of the Statistical Commission pertaining to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development]] ([https://undocs.org/A/RES/71/313 A/RES/71/313])</ref>

Countries are working towards the implementation of the "10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns".<ref name="UNESC2020" />{{rp|14}}

To ensure that plastic products are more sustainable, thus reducing plastic waste, changes such as decreasing usage and increasing the circularity of the plastic economy are expected to be required. An increase in domestic recycling and a reduced reliance on the global plastic waste trade are other actions that might help meet the goal.<ref name="Walker">{{cite journal |last1=Walker |first1=Tony R. |date=August 2021 |title=(Micro)plastics and the UN Sustainable Development Goals |journal=Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry |volume=30 |pages=100497 |doi=10.1016/j.cogsc.2021.100497 |doi-access=free}} [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]] Text was copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License]</ref>

== Background ==
Changes in consumption and production patterns can help to promote the decoupling of economic growth and human well-being from resource use and environmental impact. They can also trigger the transformations envisaged in global commitments on biodiversity, the climate, and sustainable development in general.<ref name="undocs.org">United Nations Economic and Social Council. (2021, April 30). ''Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals: Report of the Secretary-General''. United Nations. https://undocs.org/en/E/2021/58</ref>

== Targets, indicators and progress ==
[[File:Country-scp-plan.png|thumb|Blue indicates countries that do have a sustainable consumption and production (SCP) national action plan.<ref name="sdg tracker sdg 11" />|300x300px]]
SDG 12 has 11 targets. Four of them are to be achieved by the year 2030, one by the year 2020, and six have no target years. The targets address different issues ranging from implementing the 10‑Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns (Target 12.1), achieving the sustainable management and efficient use of [[Social:Natural resource|natural resource]]s (Target 12.2), having [[Social:Per capita|per capita]] global food waste at the [[Finance:Retail|retail]] and consumer levels (Target 12.3), achieving the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle (Target 12.4), substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, [[Physics:Recycling|recycling]] and reuse (Target 12.5), encourage companies to adopt sustainable practices (Target 12.6), promote public [[Social:Procurement|procurement]] practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities (Target 12.7), ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and [[Philosophy:Awareness|awareness]] for [[Sustainable development|sustainable development]] (12.8), support [[Finance:Developing country|developing countries]] to strengthen their scientific and technological capabilities (Target 12.a), develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable grouwth (Target 12.b), rationalize inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption by removing market distortions (Target 12.c).

=== Target 12.1: Implement the 10-year sustainable consumption and production framework ===

The full title of Target 12.1 is: “Implement the 10‑Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns, all countries taking action, with [[Finance:Developed country|developed countries]] taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries".<ref name="Environment">{{Cite web|last=Environment|first=U. N.|date=2017-10-02|title=GOAL 12: Sustainable consumption and production|url=http://www.unenvironment.org/explore-topics/sustainable-development-goals/why-do-sustainable-development-goals-matter/goal-12|access-date=2020-09-05|website=UNEP - UN Environment Programme|language=en}}</ref> The goal of this SDG is to have all countries taking the action by 2030.

It has one indicator: Indicator 12.1.1 is the "Number of countries with sustainable consumption and production (SCP) national action plans or SCP mainstreamed as a priority or a target into national policies".<ref name=":17" />

Many countries are working towards the implementation of the "10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns".<ref name="UNESC2020">United Nations Economic and Social Council (2020) [https://undocs.org/en/E/2020/57 Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals Report of the Secretary-General], High-level political forum on sustainable development, convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (E/2020/57), 28 April 2020</ref>{{rp|14}}

=== Target 12.2: Sustainable management and use of natural resources ===

The full title of Target 12.2 is: "By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources."<ref name=":17" />

This target has two indicators:<ref name=":17" />

* Indicator 12.2.1: Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per [[Finance:GDP|GDP]]
* Indicator 12.2.2: Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP[[File:Domestic-material-consumption-per-capita,2017.png|thumb|World map related to Indicator 12.2.2 in 2017. The map shows domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP.<ref name="sdg tracker sdg 11">Ritchie, Roser, Mispy, Ortiz-Ospina. "[https://sdg-tracker.org/sustainable-consumption-production Measuring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.]" (SDG 12) ''SDG-Tracker.org, website'' (2018) 50x50px Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</ref>|300x300px]]
Material Footprint is the quantity of material extraction that is required to meet the consumption of a country. The sum of material footprint for biomass, fossil fuels, metal ores and non-metal ores is called the total material footprint.<ref name="sdg tracker sdg 11" /> [[Finance:Domestic material consumption|Domestic Material Consumption]] (DMC) is a production-side measure which does not account for supply chain inputs or exports, meaning a country could have a lower DMC value, if it outsources a large proportion of its materials.<ref name="sdg tracker sdg 11" />

A report by the UN in 2020 found that: "Global domestic material consumption per capita rose by 7 per cent, from 10.8 metric tons per capita in 2010 to 11.7 metric tons in 2017, with increases in all regions except Northern America and Africa."<ref name="UNESC2020" />{{rp|14}}

=== Target 12.3: Halve global per capita food waste ===

The full title of Target 12.3 is: "By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses."<ref name=":17" /> This target has two components (losses and waste) measured by two indicators.<ref name=":17" />

* Indicator 12.3.1.a: Food Loss Index which focuses on losses from production to consumption level 
* Indicator 12.3.1.b: Food Waste Index this indicator is a proposal under development 
FAO and the [[Organization:United Nations Environment Programme|United Nations Environment Programme]] measure progress towards this target.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |url=http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca6122en |title=The State of Food and Agriculture 2019. Moving forward on food loss and waste reduction, In brief |publisher=FAO |year=2019 |location=Rome |pages=}}</ref>{{rp|10}}

FAO found that "globally around 14 percent of the world’s food is lost from production before reaching the retail level".<ref name=":0" />{{rp|5}}

=== Target 12.4: Responsible management of chemicals and waste ===

The full title of Target 12.4 is: "By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment."<ref name=":17" />

This target has two indicators:<ref name=":17" />

* Indicator 12.4.1: Number of parties to international multilateral environmental agreements on hazardous waste, and other chemicals that meet their commitments and obligations in transmitting information as required by each relevant agreement
* Indicator 12.4.2: (a) Hazardous waste generated per capita; and (b) proportion of hazardous waste treated, by type of treatment

Global e-waste generation has grown during 2010 to 2019: from 5.3&nbsp;kg per capita to 7.3&nbsp;kg per capita.<ref name="UNESC2020" />{{rp|14}}  The "environmentally sound recycling of e-waste" also increased: from 0.8&nbsp;kg per capita to 1.3&nbsp;kg per capita.<ref name="UNESC2020" />{{rp|14}}  [[File:Prague - trash bins 2.jpg|thumb|300x300px|Recycling trash bins in the Czech republic]]

=== Target 12.5: Substantially reduce waste generation ===
[[File:Per capita plastic waste generation Jambeck et al 2015.svg|thumb|Per capita plastic waste generation, 2015<ref name="sdg tracker sdg 11" />|300x300px]]

The full title of Target 12.5 is: "By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through [[Waste hierarchy|prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse]]."<ref name=":17" />

It has one indicator: Indicator 12.5.1 is the "National [[Physics:Recycling|recycling]] rate, tons of material recycled".<ref name=":17" />

Every year, about one third of all food produce goes bad.<ref>{{Cite web|last=United Nations|title=Sustainable consumption and production|url=https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-consumption-production/|access-date=2020-11-26|website=United Nations Sustainable Development|language=en-US}}</ref> This is worth about $1 trillion a year. The food spoils due to consumers, and goes bad during transportation.

=== Target 12.6: Encourage companies to adopt sustainable practices and sustainability reporting ===

The full title of Target 12.6 is: "Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle."<ref name=":17" />

It has one indicator: Indicator 12.6.1 is the "Number of companies publishing sustainability reports".<ref name=":17" />[[File:Municipal waste recycling rate (%), OWID.svg|thumb|300x300px|World map for Indicator 12.5.1: Municipal waste recycling rate<ref name="sdg tracker sdg 11" />]]

=== Target 12.7:  Promote sustainable public procurement practices ===

The full title of Target 12.7 is: "Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities."<ref name=":17" />

It has one indicator: Indicator 12.7.1 is the "Degree of sustainable public procurement policies and action plan implementation".<ref name=":17" /> Three objectives, SPP, GPP and SRPP, all figure in the indicator:
*SPP: Sustainable public procurement
*GPP: Green public procurement
*SRPP: Socially responsible public procurement.<ref name=":13">{{cite web |title=Metadata-12-07-01 |url=https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/files/Metadata-12-07-01.pdf |access-date=19 September 2020 |website=United Nations Stats}}</ref>

One of the limitations noted for this indicator is that different countries may implement and measure these objectives in different ways.<ref name=":13" />

=== Target 12.8: Promote universal understanding of sustainable lifestyles ===
[[File:The safe and just space for humanity.webp|thumb|right|The safe and just space for humanity. Sustainable lifestyles are situated between an upper limit of permissible use (“Environmental ceiling”) and a lower limit of necessary use of environmental resources (“Social foundation”).]]

The full title of Target 12.8 is" By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature."<ref name=":17" />

It has one indicator: Indicator 12.8.1 is the "Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment".<ref name=":17" />

=== Target 12.a: Support developing countries' scientific and technological capacity for sustainable consumption and production ===

The full title of Target 12.A is: "Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production."<ref name=":17" />

It has one indicator: Indicator 12.a.1 is the "Installed renewable energy-generating capacity in developing countries (in watts per capita)".<ref name=":17" />

=== Target 12.b: Develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable tourism ===

The full title of Target 12.B is: "Develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products."<ref name=":17" />

It has one indicator: Indicator 12.b.1 is the "Implementation of standard accounting tools to monitor the economic and environmental aspects of tourism sustainability".<ref name=":17" />

=== Target 12.c: Remove market distortions that encourage wasteful consumption ===

The full title of Target 12.C is: "Rationalize inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption by removing market distortions in accordance with national circumstances, including restructuring taxation and phasing out those harmful subsidies where they exist, to reflect their environmental impacts, taking fully into account the specific needs and conditions of developing countries and minimizing the possible adverse impacts on their development in a manner that protects the poor and the affected communities."<ref name=":17" />

It has one indicator: Indicator 12.c.1 is the: "(a) Amount of fossil-fuel subsidies as a percentage of GDP; and (b) amount of fossil fuel subsidies as a proportion of the total national expenditure on fossil fuels".<ref name=":17" />

Global fossil fuel subsidies in 2018 were $400 billion.<ref name="UNESC2020" />{{rp|14}}  This was double the subsidies for [[Engineering:Renewable energy|renewable energy]].<ref name="UNESC2020" />{{rp|14}}

=== Custodian agencies ===
Custodian agencies are in charge of reporting on the following indicators:<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=United Nations (2018) Economic and Social Council, Conference of European Statisticians, Geneva," (PDF). United Nations (SDG 16) Custodian Agencies|url=https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/stats/documents/ece/ces/2018/CES_39.pdf|access-date=September 24, 2020|website=UNECE}}</ref>

* Indicators 12.1.1, 12.2.1, 12.2.2, 12.7.1 and 12.c.1: [[Organization:United Nations Environment Programme|United Nations Environmental Programme]] (UNEP)
* Indicator 12.3.1: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and [[Organization:United Nations Environment Programme|United Nations Environmental Programme]] (UNEP)
* Indicator 12.4.1: [[Organization:United Nations Environment Programme|United Nations Environment Programme]] (UNEP)
* Indicator 12.4.2: [[Organization:United Nations Environment Programme|United Nations Environment Programme]] (UNEP) and  Department of Economic and Social Affairs-Statistics Division (DESA/UNSD)
* Indicator 12.5.1: [[Organization:United Nations Environment Programme|United Nations Environment Programme]] (UNEP) and the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD)
* Indicator 12.6.1: [[Organization:United Nations Conference on Trade and Development|United Nations Conference on Trade and Development]] (UNCTAD) and the [[Organization:United Nations Environment Programme|UN Environment]] ([[Organization:United Nations Environment Programme|United Nations Environment Programme]]/UNEP)
* Indicator 12.8.1: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UNESCO-UIS) and the UNESCO Education Sector, Division for Peace and Sustainable Development, Section of Education for Sustainable Development (UNESCO-ED/PSD/ESD)
* Indicator 12.a.1: International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
* Indicator 12.b.1: United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

== Progress ==
An annual report is prepared by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, which evaluates the progress towards all the Sustainable Development Goals.<ref name="undocs.org"/>

==Challenges==
Fossil fuel subsidies rose drastically in 2021, to levels last seen in 2014 before the SDGs were adopted, due to governments' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. They are projected to rise even further due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine disrupting energy supply chains.<ref name=sdg2023>{{cite web |title=The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023 {{!}} Department of Economic and Social Affairs |url=https://sdgs.un.org/documents/sustainable-development-goals-report-2023-53220 |website=sdgs.un.org |access-date=16 September 2023}}</ref>

The COVID-19 pandemic also impaired reporting of data regarding initiatives on sustainable tourism.<ref name=sdg2023/>

== Links with other SDGs and other issues ==

SDG 12 has targets related to SDG 2, SDG 3, SDG 4, [[Finance:Sustainable Development Goal 8|SDG 8]], SDG 9, [[Earth:Sustainable Development Goal 13|SDG 13]], [[Earth:Sustainable Development Goal 14|SDG 14]] and SDG 15.<ref name=":7">{{cite web |title=Advancing the 2030 Agenda: Interlinkages and Common Themes at the HLPF 2018 |url=https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/18777Interlinkages_EGM_Summary_Report_2018.pdf |website=UN Sustainable Development |access-date=15 September 2020 |page=30}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{cite web |date=4 October 2017 |title=One World Planet |url=https://www.unenvironment.org/explore-topics/resource-efficiency/what-we-do/one-planet-network |access-date=15 September 2020 |website=UN Environment}}</ref>

== Organizations  ==

* [[Organization:United Nations Environment Programme|United Nations Environment Programme]] (UNEP)
* Department of Economic and Social Affairs-Statistics Division (DESA/UNSD)
* Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
* United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
* UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UNESCO-UIS)
* [[Organization:UNESCO|UNESCO Education Sector]], Division for Peace and Sustainable Development, Section of Education for Sustainable Development (UNESCO-ED/PSD/ESD)<ref name=":10">{{cite web |title=Metadata-12-08-01 |url=https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/files/Metadata-12-08-01.pdf |website=United Nations Stats |access-date=18 September 2020}}</ref>
* [[Organization:United Nations Conference on Trade and Development|United Nations Conference on Trade and Development]] (UNCTAD)
*  United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD)<ref name=":22">{{cite web |title=Metadata-12-04-02 |url=https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/files/Metadata-12-04-02.pdf |access-date=19 September 2020 |website=United Nations Stats}}</ref>
*United Nations University

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

== External links ==

* [https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal12 Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform (Goal 12)]
*[https://www.globalgoals.org/12-responsible-consumption-and-production “Global Goals” Campaign - SDG 12] 
*[https://sdg-tracker.org/sustainable-consumption-production SDG-Track.org - SDG 12]
*[https://x4i.org/consumption-production-us-report UN SDG 12 in the US]


[[Category:Production economics]]

{{Sourceattribution|Sustainable Development Goal 12}}