Doing More with Less: Ensuring Sustainable Consumption and Production

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines the evolution and challenges of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP), specifically focusing on UN Sustainable Development Goal 12. It argues that current efforts often prioritize business-friendly innovation over the necessary systemic shifts in economic priorities and social values required to operate within planetary boundaries.

• Current global consumption and production patterns are unsustainable; if the population reaches 9.6 billion by 2050, the natural resources required to maintain current lifestyles would equal almost three planets.
• Significant waste and environmental degradation are linked to specific sectors: approximately 1.3 billion tonnes of food (one third of all produced) is wasted annually, and households account for 29% of global energy use and 21% of carbon dioxide emissions.
• The global material footprint is increasing faster than economic output and population growth, rising from 73.2 billion metric tons in 2010 to 85.9 billion metric tons in 2017, a 17.4% increase.
• There has been a shift in UN discourse from the Brundtland Commission's focus on inter-generational equity and the distinction between human 'needs' and 'felt wants' toward a more business-friendly emphasis on innovation and design.
• The International Resource Panel advocates for a 'systems approach' to achieve SDG 12, proposing a transition from linear material flows (extraction to disposal) to circular flows through intelligent design, reuse, recycling, and a shift toward providing services over material products.
• The degrowth movement and ecological economists argue that unlimited economic growth is incompatible with the laws of nature, specifically citing the concept of 'entropy' and the degradation of matter and energy.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for a new economic paradigm that prioritizes public health, well-being, and 'social consumption' of essential goods over the boosting of private consumption for economic growth.

APA

Doran,, P. (2021). Doing More with Less: Ensuring Sustainable Consumption and Production. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/doing-more-less-ensuring-sustainable-consumption-and-production

Chicago

Doran,, Peter. Doing More with Less: Ensuring Sustainable Consumption and Production. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/doing-more-less-ensuring-sustainable-consumption-and-production.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Doran, |first1=Peter |title=Doing More with Less: Ensuring Sustainable Consumption and Production |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=18 August 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/doing-more-less-ensuring-sustainable-consumption-and-production |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{doran2021doing, author = {Doran,, Peter}, title = {{Doing More with Less: Ensuring Sustainable Consumption and Production}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = aug, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/doing-more-less-ensuring-sustainable-consumption-and-production}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }