Responsible consumption and production

Providing rational patterns of consumption and production.

Facts and figures Tasks useful links 197 projects

If the world’s population reaches 9.6 billion people by 2050, the resources of three Earths will be required to provide everyone with the necessary resources.
With the increased use of non-metallic minerals in construction and infrastructure, humanity’s “material footprint” has grown. In developing countries, it rose from 5 tons in 2017 to 9 tons in 2020.
93 percent of the world’s 250 largest companies report on sustainability in their production.
Fresh (drinking) water makes up less than 3 percent of the world’s water resources, of which 2.5 percent is contained in the glaciers of Antarctica, the Arctic, and mountainous regions. Humanity therefore relies on only 0.5 percent of water resources to meet all anthropogenic ecosystem and freshwater needs.
Humans are polluting water resources faster than nature can recycle and purify water in rivers and lakes.
More than 1 billion people worldwide still lack access to fresh water.
Excessive water consumption contributes to global water scarcity.
Water is a free gift of nature, but the infrastructure required to deliver it is costly.
If the world’s population switched to energy-efficient lightbulbs, it would save up to 120 billion US dollars annually.
Despite technological advances that have improved energy efficiency, energy consumption in OECD countries is projected to increase by another 35 percent by 2020. Globally, the commercial and residential sectors are the second fastest-growing area of energy consumption after transport.
In 2002, OECD countries had 550 million vehicles (75 percent of which were private cars). By 2020, the number of vehicle owners was expected to increase by 32 percent. At the same time, vehicle mileage was forecast to rise by 40 percent, and global air transport volume to triple.
Households account for 29 percent of global energy consumption and, accordingly, 21 percent of carbon dioxide emissions resulting from their activities.
In 2015, 17.5 percent of final energy consumption was provided by renewable energy sources.
Although the environment is significantly affected at the production stage (agriculture and food processing), the impact depends on household food choices and habits. This, in turn, affects the environment through energy use in the food sector and waste generation.
Every year, one-third of all food produced — 1.3 billion tons, worth 1 trillion US dollars — is wasted due to inadequate transport and storage conditions.
Worldwide, 2 billion people are overweight or obese.
Land degradation, declining soil fertility, unsustainable water use, overfishing, and marine environment degradation collectively reduce the capacity of the natural resource base to provide food.
The food sector accounts for 30 percent of global energy consumption and about 22 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions.

12.1 Implement the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns, with all countries taking action, developed countries taking the lead, and taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries.

12.2 By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.

12.3 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.

12.4 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.

12.5 By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.

12.6 Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle.

12.7 Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities.

12.8 By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature.

12.a Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production.

12.b Develop and implement tools to monitor the impacts of sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products.

12.c Rationalize inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption by removing market distortions, in accordance with national circumstances, including by 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.

Achievements, according to the Report of the UN Secretary-General on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals of 29 April 2025, present a global overview of the progress achieved over 10 years since the adoption in 2015 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development:

As of 2025, 530 action plans on the transition to sustainable consumption and production patterns have been registered, involving 71 countries.

Between 2015 and 2022, global domestic material consumption increased by 23.3 percent, and per capita material consumption rose to 14.2 tons. Most of the growth was due to non-metallic minerals, whose consumption increased by 39 percent, while the growth rates of biomass, metal ores and fossil fuels were 11.8 percent, 7.4 percent and 6.2 percent, respectively. The largest increase was observed in Latin America and the Caribbean, where the indicator reached 132 percent. The resource intensity indicator increased by 21.3 percent, while inequality between regions persisted.

In 2022, the amount of food waste amounted to 1.05 billion tons, of which 60 percent came from households, equivalent to more than 1 billion portions of edible food discarded daily. Worldwide, efforts to reduce food waste are becoming more active: in countries such as Japan and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, waste decreased by 31 and 18 percent, respectively, demonstrating the feasibility of large-scale measures.

In 2022, the global volume of electrical and electronic waste reached a record 7.8 kg per capita, with only 22.3 percent of such waste properly recycled, and this rate has been declining since 2010.

Sustainability reporting is becoming standard practice for large companies: now 96 percent of the world’s 250 largest companies by revenue and 79 percent of the 100 largest companies in each surveyed country publish reports on resource efficiency, compared to 64 percent in 2015. Due to mandatory reporting requirements and the development of international standards, the number of sustainability reports increased fourfold between 2016 and 2023, with most of these reports published by companies in Asia, Europe and North America.

In 2023, the amount of fossil fuel subsidies decreased by 34.47 percent, from a record USD 1.68 trillion in 2022 to USD 1.10 trillion, mainly due to falling energy prices and the expiration of COVID-19 pandemic support measures.

United Nations Environment Programme – “Resource Efficiency”

SDG 12 Hub

Chemicals and waste

Sustainable consumption and production