Consumption and Production

"Consumption is the sole end and purpose of all production." - Adam Smith

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Optimizing Energy Consumption

The way we consume energy affects our future as a nation and as inhabitants of this planet we live in. As our energy resources decrease marginally every year, we must take into consideration on how we could use our energy efficiently. Surprisingly, one of the largest consumers for energy is the household - from using inefficient light bulbs to using power-hungry appliances. These could be optimized by changing old household habits and incorporating new ones in order to fit into our ideal society where the environment wouldn’t suffer from our mindless consumption.

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PRODUCTION HABIT

There are various production habits in the production of material resources. For the purposes of illustration, the habits can be broadly categorized as mass and lean production habits. The mass production habits considerably dominate in the modern societies. They are associated with technological and industrial production that targets not only the local consumers, but also the regional and the global consumer markets. Slattery (2008) cited that technological innovation has led to the realization of surplus material production. The material resources that are related to mass production habits include energy, capital and the raw material resources. For example, mass production habits of energy have led to exploitation of coal and use of fuels to drive the power machines in the production industries. The resources are thus extensively exploited to meet the immediate global demand of the end products. The end products are also harmful to the ecosystem. The second production habit, lean production, is the opposite of mass production. This habit is associated with utilization of material resources to produce other materials that meet only the demands of the immediate consumer market. In this pattern, a lot of raw material resources are utilized for the production of just small portion of resources for human consumption. The lean production habit leads to the production of goods that may not meet demands of the consuming population or lead to lots of resources being spent in the input with much less output realized.

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Considerations for Sustainable Production and Consumption for Global Population

Sustainable production refers to the initiatives that lead to creation of end resources and services through process that are devoid of environmental pollution. The energy and the resources are utilized in an efficient, economical and sustainable way not only to the environment, but also to the workers involved in the production process (Nash, 2009). The safety and health of the workers and consumers in the production process is thus guarded in this process. Sustainable consumption, on the other hand, involves consideration of the extent to which the products consumed meet the needs of the consumers and contributes to improvement of the quality of life. This ensures that the burden on the earth’s carrying capacity is reduced considerably. In order to sustain the global population, there is the need to assess the patterns of mass/industrial production and develop policies that will promote cleaner production. Slattery, (2008) argued that this will eliminate challenges associated with industrial pollution that lead to climate change thus limiting sustainable food production, for example. This can be realized through the development of cleaner production technologies, especially for the developing economies and those in transition. It also enhances realization of safe, healthy, and economically efficient production that can sustain the global population. Sustaining the global population requires production and consumption habits that are in themselves sustainable. This can be realized by consideration of production and consumption patterns that enhance improvement of environmental conservation (Nash, 2009). For example, the agricultural production habits must consider and mitigate the dangers associated with application of insecticides, aerosols and ammonium fertilizers on the ecosystem. Nash further contends that in terms of consumption, sustainability can be realized through promotion of the use of goods and services, which do not only contribute to better life for the present generation, but also the future ones (Nash, 2009). There is thus need to pass policies and laws that will contribute to the minimal use of natural resources, cautious use of toxic materials and elimination of emissions of waste and other pollutants into the environment.

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CLEAN YOUR PLATE

Let’s face it. Food waste is a global shame. Especially in a world where billions of people are starving. They say that there is enough food in the world for everyone, but don’t let that fool you. Over 1.3 billion tons of food is lost each year and that is equivalent to at least one-third of all of it, and unless we take action, this will devastate our planet. One of the leading countries that waste food is US. Undoubtedly, the Western world's overconsumption of food is affecting global food prices: The more they consume (and the more they throw out), the greater global demand for food becomes – and the higher food prices rise globally. Let's imagine a pile of bananas, grown and produced in a developing country, transported all the way across the globe to a Western country just to be wasted because of some silly cosmetic reason. People in the very same developing country lack food. Imagine looking those hungry people in the eyes and telling them that the good bananas grown in their very own country are being thrown away just as fast they arrive in the Western world. We Filipinos are not without fault either. Each Filipino waste an average of 3.29kg/year, according to the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST). With the same amount, more than 2 million Filipinos could have been fed. This is just in terms of rice, excluding the other kinds of food and resources we waste. Unless proper interventions are made, this vicious cycle can go on for years. So how do we solve this crisis? It’s simple. Stop wasting food. Don’t buy more than what you need, don’t overstuff your plate if you know you could only finish half of it, eat and cook leftovers, share with your neighbors, and be creative about it. We’re the ones who started this so it’s only fair that we should be the ones to end it.

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The Dangerous Fantasy of Mass Engagement

The proposed metrics include using internet keyword searches to monitor whether the world’s citizens (those online, anyway) are aware of sustainable lifestyles. This highlights the real problem with SDG number 12. It blurs the distinction between production and consumption. One involves companies taking action (regulated by governments). The other requires consumers to demand change. But we don’t have to wait for mass awareness to create a step change in sustainable production. Take the example of consumers buying Coca-Cola’s new PET plastic bottle. It is made entirely from plant materials. Buyers are consuming sustainably without even realizing it. We need enough people to be aware to make a change in the market.

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"Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns."

The SDGs seek ‘the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources’ by 2030. This will involve governments reducing subsidies for fossil fuels and targets to “substantiallyreduce” waste and, in particular, halve food waste. The big elephant in the room that the SDGs seem to dodge is growth. Overall demand is rising and it will continue to rise, particularly if we are to meet SDG number 1, and lift millions out of poverty. You can make the processes more sustainable, but if total demand rises faster, the outcome may be less sustainable overall. The reason for this is that market research shows consumers who shop sustainably always make up a minority. Studies vary by market, but it’s generally between 5 and 20 percent who will actively purchase products that are clearly branded as ethical or sustainable Most consumer goods companies have woken up to this imperative. They don’t want to sell products to a niche. They want to produce products responsibly and sell them to the mainstream. That sometimes means not talking about sustainability to consumers. Although it’s hard for people who feel passionately about these issues to believe, logos saying “organic” or “co-op made” are actually a turn off to some shoppers.

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Master Class in a Circular Economy:

As well as creating new opportunities for growth, a more circular economy will:

•reduce waste •drive greater resource productivity  •deliver a more competitive Philippine economy. •position the Philippine to better address emerging resource security/scarcity issues in the future.  •help reduce the environmental impacts of our production and consumption in both the Philippines and abroad.

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Global Cleaner Production & Sustainable Consumption Conference

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yqOM7WD98Y&feature=share

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Will the pathways to Sustainable Development be different in developing and developed countries? Do they have to be?

The Global Cleaner Production & Sustainable Consumption Conference is being designed to be holistic, integrative, trans-disciplinary, and trans-sectorial in nature. It will focus on strategic, and preventative concepts and approaches, which are being implemented to speed up the great transition to post-fossil carbon societies, and that are ecologically, ethically, socially, culturally, and economically sustainable. During this conference, the participants will discuss theoretical and build upon practical concepts, methods, tools, policies, and examples being applied in different contexts (e.g. global warming, chemical pollution, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, water and food security, erosion of social systems, human population growth, and other sustainability challenges). This Global Conference will catalyze dialogue among leaders from academia, industry, business, government, and non-governmental organizations, to accelerate the application of knowledge, experiences, and examples that are helping families, communities, cities, and regions to make the transition to dematerialized and post-fossil carbon societies.

Themes

Modifying and replacing current paradigms and lifestyles with those that support transitions to sustainable and equitable societies. Transforming education to effectively develop and empower change agents and to foster the application of new sustainable societal paradigms, approaches, tools, and practices. Fostering development and application of innovative technologies, management approaches, tools, and educational initiatives to effectively address and combat climate change and to facilitate transitions to post-fossil carbon societies. Increasing efficiency in the use of fossil fuels during the transition phases to societies based upon renewable energy systems. Changing business and organizational models to catalyze innovation, and to incorporate and embed sustainability into practices and cultures.Developing and implementing governmental policies to support transformations to post fossil carbon societies at local, national & global scales. Empowering and engaging all members of society in effecting the transitions. Assessing and communicating results of successful societal transition initiatives and thereby, obtain dynamic guidance for ongoing improvement at all societal levels.Transforming consumption and production to harmonize those activities to support sustainable societies, which must function within planetary boundaries. Fostering implementation of mitigation and adaptation approaches to prevent and minimize catastrophic climate change-related impacts, thereby enhancing societal resilience. Understanding and overcoming barriers to change to better facilitate transitions to sustainable, post-fossil carbon societies. Integrating theory and practice on a wide range of methodologies, policies and educational approaches for making societal transformations. Catalyzing the use of holistic and systems approaches to accelerate transitions to sustainable, post-fossil carbon societies. Respecting and building upon cultural diversity, equity and human rights in the paradigm and lifestyle changes to more sustainable societies. Workshops, simulations, games, demonstrations, exhibitions, knowledge cafes and other interactive tools will be used to empower participants to co-learn how to develop and adapt new approaches in diverse cultural contexts. These activities will also help people to develop new networks to collaborate and catalyze the transitions to post-fossil carbon societies.

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Promoting the Responsible Consumption and Production in 5 principles: 

1. Legal compliance and good business practices 

2. Responsible labor conditions 

3. Responsible community relations 

4. Environmental responsibility 

5. Good agricultural practices

These principles will help us to have environmentally correct , socially appropriate and economically viable consumption and production.

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Our future global sustainability mandates fundamental innovations in sciences and technologies with regard to resources, energy, and the environment. The exploration of unconventional chemical reactivities that can directly transform readily available feedstocks (preferably renewable ones) without the need for extensive manipulation could have a positive impact on the three key interconnected pillars of sustainability: resources, energy, and the environment (waste minimization). As part of this endeavor, this review explores new fundamental reactions that can drastically shorten synthetic steps, more directly transform renewable biomass and abundant feedstocks (e.g., CO2 and methane) into high-value products, harvest solar energy by chemical means, and utilize light as energy input for chemical conversions. These new reactivities could potentially provide some food for thought for the next generation of fundamental molecular transformations with an eye on future sustainability.

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Renewable and Non Renewable Resources

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A large share of the world population is still consuming far too little to meet even their basic needs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VWpoMMTYCY&feature=share

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"Achieving Goal 12 requires a strong national framework for sustainable consumption and production that is integrated into national and sectoral plans, sustainable business practices and consumer behaviour, together with adherence to international norms on the management of hazardous chemicals and wastes." -SDG

Targets set by SDG 12 are:

1. Implement the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, all countries taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries; 2. By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources; 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; 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; 5. By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse; 6. Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle; 7. Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities; 8. By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature.

In addition:

A) Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production; B) Develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products; 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.

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Unilever support Responsible Consumption and Production

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaBnI6OzFQ8&feature=share

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“Doing more and better with less.”

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12 calls for ensuring sustainable consumption and production (SCP), reaffirming global consensus on the centrality of sustainable practices in the quest for sustainable development — commitments that were articulated in the Rio Declaration and Agenda 21 adopted by the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio in 1992. The targets linked to Goal 12 include sharp cuts in food losses and waste; environmentally sound management of chemicals; sustainable public sector procurement; enhancing knowledge and awareness about the benefits of sustainable practices and lifestyle; rationalisation of fossil fuels subsidies; and strengthening the scientific and technological capacity of developing countries to embrace SCP. The comprehensive Pakistan Environmental Protection Act (PEPA) enacted in 1997 was followed by the Environment Policy, which includes policies and action plans on a range of issues that, implicitly or explicitly, aim at promoting sustainable consumption and production — such as cleaner production, protecting biodiversity, desertification, clean drinking water, etc. However, most of the policies and action plans are largely unimplemented with the institutions established under PEPA moribund.