Sustainable Consumption , Production

Systems and Future Livelihood

 What is
Sustainable
“…the use Consumption?
of services and products which
respond to basic needs and bring a better
quality of life while minimizing 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
to not jeopardize the needs of future
generations.”
UN, 1995
Sustainable Consumption is ...
 more than “consuming green”
 meeting basic needs
 about changing patterns,
not “doing without”
 responsible
consumption
consuming differently,
efficiently !!
 Consumption Optimisation
 Different consumption
– what changes in choices and infrastructure will
satisfy consumer demand more
sustainability?
 Conscious consumption
– How can consumers increase their quality of life
by “choosing and using” more wisely?
 Appropriate consumption
– Are consumption levels sustainable? Is
consumption the best way to achieve every type of
quality of life?
Mixed messages from consumers…
I’d like to end
poverty, stop violence
and racism, and get rid
of pollution. Everyone
should be equal.

I want to dress in the nicest clothes,

drive a great car, talk on the latest
mobile phone, and watch my brand new
DVD
 Driving Forces that Influence
Consumption
 Economic: economic growth, disposable income and
prices,
 Demographics: single-person households, longer/healthier
lifetimes
 Social: lifestyle and cultural tastes for diversity,
individualism, working/leisure hours.
 Education, Media and Information: environmental
awareness.
 Existing technology and infrastructure, available products
and services.
 Policy framework: economic instruments, regulations and
social tools.
Needs - opportunity – ability model
of consumer behaviour
GOAL
Sustainable
Development
striving to change the way
in which needs are met
to reduce environmental Sustainable Consumption
impacts

improving efficiencies
Cleaner Production of current production
processes with an eye
to product changes
Recycling
using byproducts on/off site
so that waste being
Treatment disposed of is minizised

money spent on environment is

Dilution an expense not an investment,
no economic return

Reactive Proactive
UNEP Division of
What is Cleaner Production?
“ Cleaner Production is the continuous application of an
integrated environmental strategy

to processes, products, and services to increase overall

efficiency,
and reduce risks to humans and the environment.
Cleaner production can be applied
to the processes used in any industry, to products
themselves and
What Cleaner Production means for…
 Production processes: conserving raw materials,
water and energy; eliminating toxic and dangerous
raw materials; reducing the quantity and toxicity of all
emissions and wasters at source during the
production process.
 Products: reducing the environmental, health and
safety impacts of products through their entire life
cycle, from raw materials extraction, throughout
manufacturing and use to the “ultimate” disposal of
the product.
 Services: incorporating environmental concerns into
designing and delivering services.

UNEP Division of
Cleaner Production in action
For companies, cleaner production is
implemented via:
 factory and site Cleaner Production
audits
 improved maintenance and operational
practices
 equipment modification
 increased recycling
 change to cleaner technologies
 better product design
Cleaner Production example:
Nicaraguan beverage company (PEPSICO) undertook a
Cleaner Production Assessment working closely
with the 260 employees and found that
product loss was almost 80% due to mechanical
problems
- 20% of which were housekeeping measures.

Measures taken:
 Water conservation reduced water loss by
50%
 Energy efficiency solutions resulted in 12%
reduction in refrigeration, 40% reduction in air
conditioning, overal fuel costs reduced by 30%
 On going training of employees reduced bottle breaking by
30% savings of $26,000/year, and established an atmosphere
supportive for looking for continual improvements.
 There is no

Sustainable Consumption without

Sustainable Production

and vice versa

 Process-Focused
Consumption and Production

Consumption Production

UNEP Division of
A Systems Look at Sustainable
Consumption and Production

Consumption Production
Consumption and production:
integrated issue
“Consumers are increasingly interested in the
world that lies behind the products. They
want to know how and where and by whom
the products have been produced.”

“This increasing awareness is a sign of hope.

Business and governments must build on
that.”
Klaus Toepfer, UNEP Executive
Director
UNEP Division of
 Life Cycle Thinking
… implies that
Return to the
environment everyone in the
whole chain of a
Obsolescence Society’s Need
Consumption/
Use for Products and product’s life cycle,
Re-Use Services
from cradle to
Manufac- grave, has a
turing Recy-
cling responsibility and a
Exploration
role to play, taking
into account all
Refining Extraction
the relevant
external
effects.”
Klaus
 Engineering view of processes
to meet human needs
1.
 Need for Integrated Approach

 Increasing resource use efficiency

(technological innovation, better management,
alternative materials, etc.) to meet the basic
needs
 Reduce material and energy density of
consumption
 Promoting sustainable development
(economic, social and environmental)
 Manufacturing System
Schematic
Facility level Process Flow Map

Inputs Outputs
Labor Product
Time Proce ss Scrap
Energy Heat
Packaging
Capital
Materials Waste
 Production Chain Schematic
Examples of strategies to improve
resource productivity I
Processing
Extraction of Manufacturer of
Industry
Raw materials finished products

• Cleaner processing and

energy technology More
•Cleaner processing emphasis on material •Cleaner processing
and energy technology with a favorable life and energy technology
course
• Less material per unit
• Larger share of
materials from recycling
industry
• Better moduling of
components
 Production Chain Schematic
Examples of strategies to improve
resource productivity II

Distribution Consumption Waste Management

• Cleaner and more • Rationalize link between goods or

• More systematic
effective transport • Services and
Recycling
• Possibly spread consumer (computer
• New materials
Production shopping)
• technology
• Re-use of • Better utilization of
transport energy
packaging • More re-use and
recycling
• A large share of the total
consumption should refer to service
• More “sharing”
Consumption and Production -
A Complex System
Production Production

Consumption Consumption

Production Products Consumption

Production
Production

Consumption Consumption
New approach for development
Example of mobility
Needs: to be able to reach places easily, timely
and comfortably
Environmental impacts (life-cycle): land use for road,
material use in making automobiles, roads and
related facilities, energy consumption and pollution
emission, automobile wastes, etc.
New approaches: urban planing (location of residents,
commercial and leisure services), public transport,
cleaner fuels, design for efficiency and recycling,
telecommunication (working from home, tele-
conferencing, on-line shopping), diversity of leisure
activities
Actors: government, financial institutes, automobile
manufacturers, public transport services, leisure
service companies, IT industry, etc.
 Sustainable Consumption and
Production: a role for ALL

Sustainable consumption and production

is a common responsibility of
 Governments,
 Industry,
 Consumers and
 Mass media.
 Future directions...
Encompasses entire consumption and production
system with a life cycle perspective
 Includes stages upstream and downstream of
targeted area
 Focuses on minimising impacts of entire
system
 Includes interventions that influence
consumption patterns (e.g, product
information and product design)
 Involves wide range of stakeholders
 Covers both policy as well as techno-
managerial aspects