International News Archive
BEST
PRACTICES FROM FINLAND
Jan. 2005: The
Finnish Ministry of Environment has released a collection of best practices
related to sustainable consumption and production in Finland. Titled
"Making
it happen - Best Practices from Finland", the examples are
organized under 3 themes: sustainable development, water and sustainable
consumption and production.
UK
SDC - WORKSHOP REPORTS
Jan. 2005: The
UK Sustainable Development Commission has released the reports for the
following workshops on sustainable consumption: (a) Policies
for Sustainable Consumption (b) Delivering
Well Being. The workshops were held in September and October 2004
respectively in order to further the development of sustainable development
strategy and policy.
EUROPEAN
SCP MEETING - REPORT & DOCS
Dec. 2004: The
report of the European Stakeholder meeting on sustainable consumption
and production is available here.
Other information about the meeting including background documents
is available here.
NGO STATEMENT TO SCP MEETING
Nov. 2004: Networks of civil society organizations around Europe got together to draft a position paper that was circulated during the European Stakeholder Meeting on Sustainable Consumption and Production. The statement is available here.
EUROPEAN SCP MEETING
Nov. 2004: The European Stakeholder Meeting on Sustainable Consumption and Production was held in Ostend, Belgium on November 24-26.
SCP-8 CONCLUDES IN MONTERREY
Nov. 2004: The 8th High Level Seminar on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP8) was held in Monterrey, Mexico, on November 15-16 2004. Details about the Seminar can be found here.
SC REPORT FROM THE OXFORD COMMISSION
Nov. 2004: The Oxford Commission on Sustainable Consumption has released a report accusing governments of abasing themselves before the power of the market and urging them to do more to promote sustainable consumption. The report can be accessed here.
THIRD INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION
Oct. 2004: This workshop was organized by the Society for Non Traditional Technology (SNTT) and the Research Center for Life Cycle Assessment as a part of its three year project " "Research on the Development and Utilization of Indicators for Sustainable Consumption. The workshop was held on Oct 22- 23 at Tokyo.
LIVING PLANET REPORT 2004
Oct. 2004: WWF International has released its fifth Living Planet Report that is based upon the Ecological Footprint and other trends. The report confirms that ecological overshoot has become a reality - "humanity is now consuming over 20 percent more natural resources than the Earth can produce, causing rapid declines in wild animal populations"
LIMITS TO GROWTH: A 30 YEAR UPDATE
Oct. 2004: In their second comprehensive update to the original Limits to Growth, the authors Donella Meadows, Jorgen Randers and Dennis Meadows conclude that humanity has squandered the opportunity to correct its course over the last 30 years and changes must be made if the world is to avoid the serious consequences of overshoot in the 21st century.
PRODUCTION-CONSUMPTION SYSTEMS: RESEARCH FRONTIERS
Oct. 2004: The Unit for Social and Environmental Research (USER), Chiang Mai University organized an international workshop titled "Sustainable Production-Consumption Systems: Research Frontiers" Between October 1- 3 2004. The purpose of this workshop is to arrive at an improved framework and agenda for research on the sustainability of production-consumption systems that increasingly stretch across disparate parts of the globe.
SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION WORKSHOP IN BARCELONA
Sept. 2004: Barcelona Universal Forum of Cultures 2004, hosted a workshop titled "Linking Sustainable Consumption and the Quality of Life" in Barcelona on September 22nd 2004.
SCP
MEETINGS IN EUROPE
Sept.
2004: UNEP has announced several upcoming meetings on sustainable
consumption and production in Europe. UNEP's Sustainable
Consumption Opportunities for Europe website announced that the
wider European Multistakeholder Conference on SCP would be held in November
2004. The website also announces that a workshop on sustainable consumption
opportunities will be held in Moscow in December 2004.
Read
more.
UNEP ANNOUNCES SCP8
Aug. 2004: UNEP is organizing its 8th High Level Seminar on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP8) in Monterrey, Mexico, on November 15-16 2004. This "invitation only" meeting will focus on Environment and Basic Needs" and "Global Challenges and Business" and aims "to create a new vision for the work of the international community to promote more sustainable lifestyles.". Read more.
GRANTS FOR SPAC
Aug. 2004: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UK (DEFRA) is inviting applications from voluntary sector groups throughout England for grants from the Environment Action Fund to support their work on Sustainable Consumption and Production over the three years from 2005-08. Details are available here.
ERSCP
- CONCLUSIONS
July
2004: The conslusions of the 9th European Roundtable on Sustainable
Consumption and Production (ERSCP 2004) are now available at the conference
website.
BALTIC STATES AND SPAC
June 2004:The Baltic sub-regional multistakeholder dialogue on sustainable consumption and production was organized in Vilnius, Lithuania on June 17 - 18 2004.
More details are available here.
Documents are available here.
SPAC & BUSINESS
June 2004: The Nordic Partnership organized a workshop titled "Sustainable production and consumption - where is the current agenda, and how can it be made attractive to business?" in Copenhagen on Wednesday, June 9th 2004. Details are available here.
SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION: NEW POLICY CHALLENGE?
June 2004: Friends of Europe have released the report of their february 2004 "Cafe Crossfire Evening debate" titled "Is Sustainable Consumption the new policy challenge?". The report is available here.
CONSUMPTION AND TECHNOLOGY
May 2004: "From Greed to Need: Reshaping Consumption and Technology for a Sustainable World" was the title of the 2004 conference organized by the Scientists for Global Responsibility on 15th May 2004. A brief report is available here.
CYBER SEMINAR ON CONSUMPTION, POPULATION AND ENVIRONMENT
May 2004: The Population-Environment Research Network organized a cyber seminar titled "Population, Consumption and Environment Dynamics: Theory and Method" between May 17th and 31st 2004. Details are available here.
AFRICAN ROUNDTABLE ON SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION
May 2004: The third African roundtable on sustainable consumption and production patterns (ARSCP - 3) was held in Casablanca, Morocco, between 17-20 May, 2004. The meeting report is available here.
EUROPEAN ROUNDTABLE ON SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION
May 2004: Over 300 persons participated in the 9th European Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production (formerly ERCP), held in Bilbao, Spain between 12th and 14th May 2004.
CSD 12 REPORT
May 2004: Sustainable production and consumption received token mention in the Chair's summary of the 12th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development. Some countries stressed its importance as a cross cutting issue, and in Integrated Water Resource Management. The Chair's summary can be accessed here.
SPAC AND ADVERTISING: THE CORPORATE RESPONSE
Apr 2004: The issue of how corporate citizens can use advertising and marketing to roll out appropriate responses when confronted with sustainable consumption was discussed at the Global Compact Policy Dialogue titled "Sustainable Consumption: Marketing and Communications" held in Paris, on April 4 - 5 2004.
WEB TOOLS FOR THE MARRAKECH PROCESS
Apr. 2004: UNEP and DESA have launched two internet based tools in support of the Marrakech process. The first is a webpage dedicated to the Marrakech process. The second is a Sustainable Consumption and Production database which lists SPAC initiatives throughout the world.
SPAC AT CSD -12
Apr. 2004: Though sustainable production and consumption (SPAC) was not one of the thematic areas under discussion at the 12 session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-12), discussions relating to SPAC was very much in evidence in meetings and events held throughout CSD-12. Details are available here.
THE FUTURE FOR SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION IN EUROPE
Apr. 2004: Consumption in Europe continues to rise and households account for a growing share of resource use and environmental burden. These are some of the conclusions of the study "Consumption and the Environment in Europe: Trends and Futures" done on behalf of the Danish Environmental Protection Agency (http://www.mst.dk/homepage/) by Laurie Michaelis, University of Oxford and Sylvia Lorek, SERI (www.seri.at/consumption). The report identifies some of the implications for possible action that could be taken by governments, business and civil society to prepare for a future transition to more sustainable patterns of consumption. Details are available here.
ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTS UPDATE
Mar. 2004: Redefining Progress has released an update of the Ecological Footprint Accounts - which is one of the world's leading indicators of sustainability. The 2004 Footprint of Nations concludes that the world's wealthiest nations are mortgaging the future at the expense of today's children, the poor, and the long-term health of the Earth. Through excessive consumption of non-renewable resources, a handful of countries are depleting global reserves at a faster rate than ever before.
Read Redefining Progress' Press Release
LEEDS CONFERENCE OUTCOME
Mar. 2004: The proceedings of the International Workshop on Sustainable Consumption, focusing on the driving forces of and barriers to sustainable consumption is available here.
SPAC EVENTS IN EUROPE & AFRICA
Mar. 2004: Discussions about the 10 year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production (the Marrakech process) will be initiated in Europe and Africa in 2004. Plans to regional meetings related to the Marrakech process were revealed at the informal advisory meeting of experts organized by UNEP in Paris in March 2004.
IMPLEMENTING THE 10-YEAR FRAMEWORK
Mar. 2004: Meeting basic needs of the poor, promoting resource efficiency in key industrial sectors, and assisting the government in implementing policies in areas such as water, energy and housing should be the focal areas for UNEP's contribution to the 10 year framework on sustainable consumption and production. This was the outcome of an informal advisory meeting of experts organized by UNEP in Paris on March 2nd 2004.
EU STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION
Mar. 2004: Sustainable consumption and production and the development of the 10 year framework are some of the key priorities of the European Union in the follow up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Therefore, the EU has developed "Sustainable consumption and production: An inventory of relevant policies, activities and instruments at the European Community level" to provide an overall view of overall view of the EU's current activities and best practices on the issue. On March 22nd 2003, the EU will be conducting a stakeholder consultation on the inventory.
GERMAN DIALOGUE ON SPAC
Feb. 2004: Germany is restarting the dialogue on sustainable consumption and production to face the challenge of fleshing out the 10 year framework of programmes.To this end, the German government hosted a conference titled "Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns - National Dialogue on the Follow-up of the World Summit for Sustainable Development" in Berlin to develop "perspectives and new impetus for the promotion of sustainable consumption and production patterns".
OVERCONSUMPTION IN CANADA
Feb. 2004: "Overconsumption is the main reason for Canada's woes" states a report published by the David Suzuki Foundation. Titled "Sustainability within a Generation: A new vision for Canada", the report identifies nine critical challenges that Canada should concentrate upon. It calls for a generation of environmental laws and policies that "must embody fundamental principles including intergenerational equity, polluter pays, user pays, pollution prevention, ecological design, extended producer responsibility and adaptive management"
CSD RELEASES DRAFT S-G REPORT
Feb. 2004: Developing countries should learn from developed countries, acquire their technologies and follow a path of development which involves less intensive use of resources and environmental destruction than the path followed by the early industrialists. This is one of the conclusions drawn by the draft version of the CSD Secretary General's report "Overview of Progress towards Sustainable Development". Section IV of the paper deals with Sustainable consumption and production and touches upon the Marrakech Process, management of chemicals and hazardous waste, sustainable energy and ecotourism. Disappointingly, the report only deals with developments in corporate social responsibility, but does not touch upon accountability, which is one of the commitments under the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.
NGO PAPER ON WATER, SANITATION & HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
Feb 2004: The need to increase public participation and a call for policy coherence are some of the conclusions made by the NGO Major Groups Discussion Paper on Water, Sanitation and Human Settlements. This paper was submitted to the Secretariat of the Commission on Sustainable Development for consideration in its upcoming 12th Session in April 2004. The facilitators of the Sustainable Development Issues Network, in their capacity as NGO Major Group Focal Points, drafted this paper with contributions from NGOs around the world.
SPAC CAUCUS - CALL FOR INPUT
Feb 2004: The Co-Coordinator of CSD's Sustainable Production and Consumption (SPAC) caucus has called for discussion about the Caucus' participation and activities at the upcoming 12th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development.
WORLDWATCH RELEASES STATE OF THE WORLD 2004
Jan 2004: The Worldwatch Institute brought out its annual report "State of the World 2004" with a special focus on the "The Consumer Society". The report concludes that the world is consuming goods and services at an unsustainable pace, with serious consequences for the well being of people and the planet. Private consumption expenditures-the amount spent on goods and services at the household level-have increased fourfold since 1960, topping more than $20 trillion in 2000. The 12 percent of the world's people living in North America and Western Europe account for 60 percent of this consumption, while the one-third living in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa account for only 3.2 percent. Growing dissatisfaction with current consumption trends has led consumer advocates, economists, policymakers, and environmentalists to develop creative options for meeting people's needs while dampening the environmental and social costs of mass consumption. The report showcases both the trends and the options available.
The Worldwatch press release is available at http://www.worldwatch.org/press/news/2004/01/08/
INTERNATIONAL SPAC FORUM IN CHINA
Dec 2003: UNEP, along with the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) of China, the People's Government of Hunan Province (PGHP), and the China Science and Technology Asso ciation (CSTA) organized the first International Forum on Sustainable consumption and production at Changsha, Hunan Province of China on Dec. 6-8, 2003. Consumers International and Integrative Strategies Forum were among the ICSPAC partners who made presentations at the Forum.
The Forum stated that sustainable consumption and production policies and the concept of a circular economy were key priorities in China's development, and that the Forum would contribute to a process in implementing the same. The Forum said that civil society groups should be supported in raising awareness and informing the public.
Presentation by Mr. Jeffrey Barber (Integrative Strategies Forum) at Changsha (PPT)
Talk given by Mr. Robin Simpson (Consumers International) at Changsha
REGIONAL SPAC FORUM ESTABLISHED IN LATIN AMERICA
Nov 2003: The Forum for Environmental Ministers in Latin America and the Caribbean have established a Regional Council on Sustainable consumption and production to develop a 10 year framework of programmes on SPAC for the region. This decision was taken in light of the mandate given by the two regional expert meetings held in the region.
SPAC CAUCUS STATEMENT
Oct 2003: The SPAC Caucus has submitted a statement to the CSD Secretariat as input to influence the Secretary General's State of Implementation reports. This Statement is to contribute to CSD-12's evaluation and review process.
2ND REGIONAL SPAC MEETING IN LATIN AMERICA
Oct 2003: Nicaragua hosted the 2nd government expert meeting in Latin America and the Caribbean on sustainable consumption and production on Oct 15 - 16 2003. UNEP reports, " During the two-day meeting government experts developed a regional strategy on sustainable consumption and production by defining concrete actions and pilot projects."
Read outcome document (in Spanish)
SPAC CAUCUS - CALL FOR INPUT
Oct 2003: The Co-Coordinator of the Sustainable Production and Consumption Caucus (SPAC Caucus) of the Commission on Sustainable Development has called for input from the SPAC community to prepare a collective Caucus statement to influence the Secretary General's State of Implementation report. (Read statement from the Co-Coordinator). October 31st 2003 is the deadline for submitting information to be included in this report - and the CSD Secretariat has welcomed input from Major Group organizations (Read statement from the CSD Secretariat). The Secretariat has also provided a form that organizations can use to give direct input.
INPUT FOR CSD - 12
At the 1st meeting of the CSD - 12 Bureau (Bureau of the 12th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development), participants laid down opportunities for Major Group representatives to present their views. Major groups should use these points of intervention, which occur at national, regional and international levels, to make known their positions on Sustainable Production and Consumption in general or in relation to Water, Sanitation and Human Settlements in particular to the Bureau.
CALL FOR PAPERS ON SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION
The Journal of Industrial Ecology, USA and the Society of Non Traditional Technology, Japan have both called for papers on Sustainable Consumption.
The Journal of Industrial Ecology invites submissions by October 15th 2003 for its special issue on sustainable consumption.For more details, visit http://www.yale.edu/jie/cfpsuscon.htm
The SNTT initiated a 3-year project on sustainable consumption in November, 2002 called "Research on the Development and Utilization of Indicators for Sustainable Consumption." It calls for papers on specified topics for its "Second International Workshop on Sustainable Consumption" to be held in Tokyo on Dec 12-13 2003. For more details, visit
http://unit.aist.go.jp/lca-center/english/symposium/e-paper030825.html
E-CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION
The Unit for Social and Environmental Research (USER), Chiang Mai University, Thailand is organizing a web- based E-conference on sustainable consumption from September 15 to October 15 2003. The purpose of the conference is to " draw attention of researchers to the importance of consumption-related processes for sustainability" and "create a stimulating dialogue that will lead to better framing of research, and suggest new important areas of inquiry."
For more details, or to register for the conference, visit
http://www.sea-user.org/news-detail.php?news_id=985
http://www.sea-user.org/e_conference.php
EXPERT MEETING CONCLUDED AT MARRAKECH
The "International Expert Meeting on the 10 year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable consumption and production" was held in Marrakech, Morocco between June 16th - 19th 2003. This meeting was organized by UN DESA (Department of Economic and Social Affairs) and UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) in order to "work towards the development of a 10 year framework in support of national and regional initiatives to promote sustainable consumption and production" (SPAC). Over 100 participants from 54 countries attended the meeting.
The meeting aimed at bringing together experts from around the world in order to discuss various concerns and issues related to SPAC. The results of the meeting were recorded as a "Summary of Discussion" which was to reflect all the points of view that had been presented at the meeting. The organizers emphasized through the meeting that the purpose was not negotiation and compromise, but rather to secure a diversity of opinions. The meeting considered the 10-year cycle of the CSD (Commission on Sustainable Development). However, the aim of the meeting was to feed into the CSD process and not to duplicate it.
UN DESA had prepared a discussion paper that had been distributed to the participants before the meeting. The aim of the discussion paper was stimulate discussion, and did not serve as recommendations on their part. DESA also prepared background paper titled "Survey of International Activities on Consumption and Production Patterns" which was widely considered during the working group deliberations.
Integrative Strategies Forum has prepared a summary of the meeting outcomes.
Related Links:
Outcome of the International Expert Meeting on Sustainable consumption and production
UN DESA website containing background documents
REGIONAL EXPERT MEETINGS ON SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION
Regional Expert Meetings on consumption and production have been organized by UNEP, the UN DESA and other participating governments and international organizations in Argentina and Indonesia.
The Regional meeting for Latin America and the Caribbean was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina between 23rd and 25th April 2003. The meeting aimed to construct a regional platform on SPAC. The meeting recommended the internalization of environmental costs, elimination of destructive subsidies, promotion of green products and services, information and education, harmonization and strengthening of national regulatory frameworks on SPAC, adoption of Corporate Social Responsibility Codes, promotion of investment in infrastructure and transfer of technologies, co-operation between government, the private sector and civil society, creating a national system of strategic environmental evaluation, and green public procurement. It called for the formation of a regional council of experts on SPAC, a follow up meeting in October 2003 in Nicaragua, and the presentation of the results of this meeting at the 14th Forum of Environmental Ministers.
The regional Expert Meeting for Asia and the Pacific was held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, between 21st and 23rd May 2003. The meeting called for enhancing the role of developing countries, increasing coherence and integration in both day to day work as well as long term strategies, involving stakeholders through the process, enforcing environmental laws and regulations, implementing the UN Guidelines on Consumer Protection, businesses adopting self assessment mechanisms, SMEs adopting SPAC practices, among other recommendations. The meeting also called upon UNEP to explore the possibility of establishing an International Declaration on SPAC.
Quick links:
UNEP's Report on the meeting in Asia and the Pacific
UNEP Regional Office of Asia and the Pacific - ROAP's report on the expert meeting
Background Document for the Expert Meeting in Argentina
Outcome Report of the Expert Meeting in Argentina
Background Document for the Expert Meeting in Indonesia
Outcome Report of the Expert Meeting in Indonesia
SPAC SIDE EVENTS
A workshop on SPAC was organized at the 5th Pan European Ministers Conference "Environment for Europe" held in Kyiv in May 2003. Participants in the Workshop, titled " Towards Sustainable Production & Consumption in the ECE Region", explored the reactions of various governments' progress towards SPAC policies, identified a wide range of obstacles, and explored ideas for monitoring, assessing, and reporting. See event summary for more details.
CSD 11 witnessed three SPAC related side events - two of which targeted the 10-year framework of programmes and one on ecological footprinting. For more details, see the events summary.
SPAC IN THE KYIV DECLARATION
The Kyiv Ministerial Declaration encouraged "national efforts to promote sustainable consumption and production as well as corporate environmental and social responsibility and accountability" (Para. 27) Para. 28 of the Declaration focuses on the 10 year framework of programmes in support of sustainable consumption and production and lists out program elements that must be considered in the same. It also calls for adoption of public procurement policies at all levels. Para. 29 encourages improvements in corporate practices. The declaration also deals with public participation (Section F), transboundary air pollution (Section G), energy (Section I), water (Section J), transport (Section K) and chemicals (Section L) among other issues.
SPAC AT CSD 11
Sustainable consumption and production found meager mention in the draft resolution coming out of CSD 11 titled " The Implementation Track for Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation: Future Programme, Organization and Methods of Work of the Commission on Sustainable Development ". SPAC was mentioned once in the preamble of the preamble of the resolution, as one of the overarching objectives and essential requirements of sustainable development. The second mention can be found in the annex to the resolution which lays down the multi year programme of work of the CSD. SPAC is one of the cross cutting issues that is to be considered through the thematic cycle. The 10 year framework of programmes on SPAC has been recommended to be a theme that may be considered during the 2010-2011 cycle of the CSD. For more details on SPAC during negotiations, see the event summary.