As the financial and environmental costs of resource depletion and negative ecological impacts begin to affect economic growth, countries around the world need to find ways to manage finite resources while meeting the needs of a growing and increasingly urban world population. By integrating sustainable consumption and production (SCP) patterns into national development planning and implementation, policymakers can make it easier and cheaper to produce goods and services more efficiently, with lower risks to humankind and the environment.
The handbook contains a rich compilation of SCP definitions, case studies from all over the world, policy instruments, policy implementation processes, monitoring and evaluation methodologies and indicators. It also contains compelling data on both the impact of unsustainable consumption and production, and the efficiency gains to be made by mainstreaming SCP patterns.
China’s drive to develop a low-carbon, resource-efficient economy is a top priority of the government, placing pressure on the industrial development zones (IDZs) to respond to a growing and diverse set of policy levers. The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), with the support of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), is working with Chinese industrial and economics zones to identify key policy trends that will affect competitiveness and to provide insight to help better manage the transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient economy. This synthesis report provides an overview of the two phases of the project, which a specific focus on the low-carbon drivers of IDZs, an overview of the research results, policy trends and drivers of low-carbon development in IDZs and Priority areas for action.
Committee on Environmental Policy (CEP) invited the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) and UNEP secretariats, in close consultation with relevant stakeholders, including ministries, business and civil society, to prepare an updated report on progress and future prospects in greening the economy in the pan-European region and to include in the report additional chapters on the identification of priorities for greening the economy in the region and possible modalities and options to achieve that (ECE/CEP/2013/2, para. 116 (g) (iii)). The present report attempts to respond to the CEP request and aims at facilitating discussion by CEP. CEP will be invited to consider the issue of greening the economy in the region, including further steps and actions necessary to advance it.
A growing number of companies globally have started to develop and apply circular business models. These business models replace the traditional linear, “end-of-life” concept. Companies are now employing restoration rather than destruction and are shifting away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy. Manufacturers are stopping the use of toxic chemicals and aiming towards the elimination of waste through superior material, product and system design. Governments have good reasons to act as well: Besides strengthening the economy by saving hundreds of billions of euros per year on finite resources, the shift to a more circular economy not only stimulates innovation, it also offers the promise of new employment opportunities. Given the importance of government intervention in establishing sustainable national economies, the Dutch Sustainability Business Association has in this publication identified best practices by analysing government initiatives worldwide.
This policy brief contains key findings and recommendations for improvements in existing collection and recycling systems for plastic waste from households and other municipal waste sources, a project within the Nordic Prime Ministers’ initiative, The Nordic Region – leading in green growth. It is one of six Nordic projects focusing on resource efficient recycling of plastic and textile waste.