Sustainable Consumption & Production

Sustainable consumption and production, as defined by the Oslo Symposium in 1994, refers to “the use of services and related 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 not to jeopardize the needs of future generations.” Humans are currently consuming more resources than ever, exceeding the planet’s capacity for generation. In the meantime, waste and pollution grow, and the gap between rich and poor is widening. Thus, sustainable consumption and production is about doing more and better with less. It is about systemic change, decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation, and applying a life cycle thinking approach.