consumption
Sustainable consumption
and production
patterns
12.1 Global Perspectives on SDG12
Material consumption has expanded rapidly across the world, including material footprint per capita, which are seriously jeopardising the achievement of SDG12 and adversely affecting other SDGs. The urgent compulsion is to ensure that current material production and consumption do not result in over extraction of resources and degradation of environmental resources. Policies need to improve resource efficiency, reduce waste, and mainstream sustainability practices across all sectors of the global economy.
In 2017, worldwide material consumption reached 92.1 billion tons, up from 87 billion in 2015, with the rate of extraction accelerating every year since 2000. This reflects the increased demand for natural resources, resulting in undue burden on environmental resources. Without urgent and concerted action, the global resource extraction could grow to 190 billion tons by 2060.
Material footprint per capita has increased considerably: in 1990, about 8.1 tons of natural resources were used to satisfy an individual’s needs, in 2015, nearly 12 tons of resources were extracted per person.
For South Asia, the decoupling of economic growth from natural resource use is much needed, as material footprints and domestic material consumption are rising fast. Decisions made now are locking in resource-intensive consumption and production patterns for generations. In South Asia, a significant portion of its revenues comes from exporting food and other commodities to developed countries. As such, much of the region’s environmental damage comes from the manufacture of products consumed outside the region. With respect to SDG 12, South Asian priorities relate to lifestyles and behaviour, and chemicals and waste specifically. The focus is on promoting sustainable public procurement practices; encouraging companies to adopt sustainable practices and sustainability reporting; substantially reducing waste generation; responsible management of chemicals and wastes, significantly reducing releases to air, water, and soil; and halving per capita food waste. All these targets aim to achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources by 2030 and implementation of the 10-Year Framework of Programmes (10YFP) on Sustainable Consumption and Production. The 10YFP, adopted at Rio+20 Conference in 2012, is designed to develop, replicate, and scale up sustainable consumption and production (SCP) and resource efficiency initiatives at the regional and national levels, while decoupling environmental degradation and resource use from economic growth.
Postharvest losses (PHL) are also alarmingly high across the globe and efficient postharvest technologies can contribute to food security in multiple ways. They can reduce PHL, thereby increasing the amount of food available for consumption by farmers and poor rural and urban consumers. The benefits to consumers from reducing losses include lower prices and improved food security. In addition, postharvest activities such as processing and marketing can create employment (and thus incomes) and better food security in the agricultural sector. Reducing PHL clearly complements other efforts to enhance food security through improved farm-level productivity. Techniques to reduce food losses require cultural and economic adaption. This is so because all food losses occur at a particular socio-cultural environment. The issue of food losses is of high importance in the efforts to combat hunger, raise income and improve food security in the world’s low income countries.
BANGLADESH PROGRESS REPORT 2020 BANGLADESH PROGRESS REPORT 2020
166 167
Well-designed national policy frameworks are necessary to enable a fundamental shift towards sustainable consumption and production patterns. In 2018, 71 countries and the European Union reported on a total of 303 policy instruments. The parties to the Montreal Protocol and the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions have agreed to transmit information on the implementation of their obligations under these agreements. However, the rate of transmission varies widely, with the average compliance rate over these four agreements at 70 per cent.
12.2 Status of SDG 12 in Bangladesh
Indicator 12.1.1 Number of countries with sustainable consumption and production (SCP) national action plans or SCP mainstreamed as a priority or target into national policies
This indicator allows for the quantification and monitoring of countries making progress along the policy cycle of binding and non-binding policy instruments aimed at supporting Sustainable Consumption and Production. The working definition used in the context of this framework is: “The use of services and related products, which respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life while minimising 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 jeopardise the needs of future generation.” (UNESCAP, 2020)
Bangladesh, in a bid to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 12 by 2030, is aiming to develop a 10-year sustainable consumption and production framework by 2020.
The footprint of aggregate consumption shows that the overall trend in consumption-GDP ratio is declining in Bangladesh despite significant rise in the standard of living (Figure 12.1). The trends in consumption in terms of per unit of GDP (constant prices) and per capita consumption show a growing convergence between the two implying that while individual consumption expenditure (at constant BDT) is growing at 11.2 per cent, the trend in consumption expenditure per unit of GDP (in constant value) is growing at 6.27 per cent indicating that the economy is heading towards a path of sustainable consumption (Figure 12.2)
Figure 12.1: Trends in Consumption as per cent of GDP
148 Figure 12.1: Trends in Consumption as per cent of GDP
Source: Bangladesh Economic Review 2019
Figure 12.2: Trends in Consumption Expenditure
Source: Bangladesh Economic Review 2019
In the case of sustainable production, a reduction of energy consumption per unit of production means that the economy is moving towards a sustainable path through efficient utilisation of energy resources. Energy consumption (primary energy) per $1,000 GDP is declining over time in Bangladesh showing an increasing energy efficiency in production (Figure 12.3).
2005-06 2006-207 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19*
CONSUMPTION AS % OF GDP
Source: Bangladesh Economic Review 2019
BANGLADESH PROGRESS REPORT 2020 BANGLADESH PROGRESS REPORT 2020
168 169
Figure 12.2: Trends in Consumption Expenditure
148 Figure 12.1: Trends in Consumption as per cent of GDP
Source: Bangladesh Economic Review 2019
Figure 12.2: Trends in Consumption Expenditure
Source: Bangladesh Economic Review 2019