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The document argues that production-based emissions accounting allows the EU to outsource manufacturing and claim emissions reductions while domestic consumption drives emissions elsewhere. It introduces the Carbon-CAP project, which evaluates over 30 policy instruments across sectors like transport and food to complement existing production-focused policies. These instruments are assessed based on effectiveness, scope, economic equity, and political/legal acceptance to avoid rebound effects and emissions shifting within the global economy.

The report details a workshop in Pajala, Sweden, where local stakeholders and researchers co-created four future narratives for the region based on global Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs). Participants identified climate change, national-local power relations, and international security as primary drivers of change. The resulting narratives explore a range of futures, from a sustainable 'Green Road' focused on circular economies and bio-production to a 'Rocky Road' characterized by resurgent nationalism and state withdrawal from municipal welfare. The study emphasizes the interconnection between local Arctic conditions—such as mining and reindeer herding—and global trends in migration, resource demand, and climate change.

The European steel and cement sectors face substantial surplus production capacity and limited reinvestment, hindering the adoption of low-carbon technologies. While energy efficiency and fuel-switching have provided some gains, breakthrough process technologies like carbon capture and storage (CCS) require significant public funding and a credible, long-term carbon price signal for both producers and consumers to be viable. The report argues that a comprehensive policy package—combining the EU ETS, innovation funding, and updated building standards—is essential to transition these capital-intensive industries toward sustainable, high-value production.

The report provides a framework for measuring the transition to sustainable consumption and production (SCP) by identifying specific indicators for SDG 12 and related targets in other SDGs. It organizes these indicators into six domains: scale of resource use, decoupling, environmental impact, technology and lifestyles, financing and investing, and policy support. The document emphasizes the need for 'positive indicators' to show the return on investment in SCP and highlights significant data gaps, particularly in developing countries, while suggesting a set of headline indicators to serve as proxies for global progress.

The report examines how China's industrial development zones (IDZs), which account for approximately 35% of total national emissions, are responding to a shift from growth-oriented policies to low-carbon mandates. It identifies a trend toward market-based instruments, such as the national cap-and-trade system, and highlights the role of eco-industrial park certifications in improving resource efficiency. Based on a survey of 230 firms, the document reveals significant gaps in GHG inventory management and policy awareness, particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises. It recommends streamlining administrative procedures, increasing transparency in carbon trading, and establishing a capacity-building platform called 'Low Carbon, 2030' to support the national goal of peaking emissions by 2030.

The document analyzes three Chinese national pilot programs for industrial parks: Eco-industrial Parks (EIP), Circular Transformation of Industrial Parks (CTIP), and Low-carbon Industrial Parks. It compares their administrative processes, performance indicators, and contributions to carbon reduction, noting that while these programs are voluntary, they provide significant financial and capacity-building incentives for parks to transition from growth-oriented to environment-balanced models.

The report examines China's effort to transition its industrial sector—responsible for 70% of energy consumption and 72% of carbon emissions—through three primary pilot programs: the Eco-Industrial Park (EIP) Demonstration Program, the Circular Transformation of Industrial Parks (CTIP), and the Low-Carbon Industrial Park Program. While these programs overlap in their goals to reduce pollution and resource scarcity, they differ in governance and metrics. The EIP program uses a rigid set of threshold values, whereas the CTIP program allows zones to set their own targets and provides direct national financing, averaging RMB 182 million per zone. The Low-Carbon Industrial Park Program, launched in 2013, specifically targets greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The report concludes that while these voluntary schemes help build technical capacity and attract investment, they often lack comprehensive life-cycle assessments and clear guidance for participating firms.

The report analyzes the evolving policy landscape for low-carbon development in China's industrial zones, highlighting a shift from rigid command-and-control regulations toward more flexible economic instruments and performance standards. It examines the role of the 12th Five-Year Plan and the cascading effect of national directives from the State Council and NDRC to provincial and municipal levels, specifically focusing on regional emissions trading pilots and the increasing importance of GHG inventories and auditing.

The report assesses how Sweden can mitigate the global environmental and health footprints of its consumption. It identifies key 'hotspots'—specifically electronics from China and soy from Brazil—and proposes a mix of economic, administrative, informative, and collaborative tools. The authors argue that while many ideas exist, there is a lack of political action and a need for systemic change, such as shifting toward a circular economy and adjusting tax systems, rather than relying solely on individual consumer choices or isolated production improvements.

The report analyzes the South African waste sector, which is worth approximately R15 billion and employs 29,000 people. It highlights the Western Cape's higher recycling rates (14%) compared to the national average (9.8%) and examines various waste streams, including plastics, paper, glass, metals, e-waste, and construction and demolition waste. The document identifies significant barriers to waste-to-energy (WtE) projects, such as complex municipal procurement processes and regulatory hurdles, while outlining potential for biogas generation from agricultural and organic waste. It also details GreenCape's initiatives, such as the Western Cape Industrial Symbiosis Programme (WISP), to promote a circular economy.

The handbook defines Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) as a process to optimize value-for-money across an asset's lifecycle, rather than focusing solely on the lowest purchase price. It provides a framework for integrating sustainability into every stage of the procurement cycle—from needs analysis and market consultations to technical specifications and contract conditions. The document details specific mandatory and optional criteria for high-spend categories such as IT equipment, vehicles, and infrastructure, while emphasizing the use of the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT) principle. It also outlines strategies to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the potential for SPP to act as a catalyst for inclusive green growth and foreign direct investment.

The manual defines Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) as a process to maximize value for money over a product's life cycle, reducing environmental and social harm. It provides a structured framework for integrating sustainability into the procurement cycle—from needs analysis and market consultation to contract management—and offers specific technical criteria for common public expenditures such as ICT equipment, vehicles, lighting, paper, air conditioning, furniture, and textiles. The document also explores the 'multiplier effects' of SPP, including its ability to attract foreign direct investment, stimulate innovation, and support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Additionally, it details various Public-Private Partnership (PPP) structures and provides guidelines for 'green roads' and sustainable buildings.

The report investigates food waste in Estonia's retail and food processing industries, finding that while overall waste levels are lower than in more developed European nations, significant 'food loss' occurs due to retail forecasting difficulties and consumer behavior. In retail, approximately 12,000 tonnes of food are written off annually, valued at 22 million euros, with fruits and vegetables making up the largest share by weight. In the food industry, waste is heavily concentrated in the meat sector, though much of the output is classified as by-products rather than waste. The report identifies transport costs, labor shortages, and legal ambiguities regarding taxes and hygiene as primary barriers to donating surplus food to the Food Bank (Toidupank).

This policy brief outlines a three-step analytical approach to identify and prioritize policy instruments for reducing a country's external environmental footprint, using Sweden as a case study. It identifies approximately 60 existing or potential instruments and recommends a multi-sectoral strategy involving tax adjustments, public procurement criteria, and bilateral cooperation with producer countries to achieve the 'Generational Goal' of solving environmental problems without increasing them outside Swedish borders.

The author describes a shift in the climate movement following the failure of the 2009 Copenhagen summit, noting the emergence of a 'green, circular economy' and decentralized energy projects. It urges Green parties to represent these citizen-led demands—specifically the abandonment of fossil fuels and the increase of renewable energy—during the run-up to COP 21 in Paris to ensure that alternative, sustainable models become the political norm.

The report identifies a portfolio of low-carbon opportunities for the European steel sector, ranging from energy efficiency and fuel shifting to breakthrough technologies like Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) and increased recycling. It argues that current EU ETS mechanisms, particularly free allocation based on historic volumes, fail to provide sufficient incentives for deep decarbonisation and high-value product innovation. The authors recommend a structural reform of leakage protection, specifically proposing a combination of output-based allocation and the inclusion of consumption in the EU ETS to create a credible business case for breakthrough technologies and material efficiency. The report also emphasizes the need for sustained public funding for process innovation to overcome the 'valley of death' in technology scaling and suggests strengthening links between steel producers and downstream consumers, particularly in the automotive and construction sectors, to drive demand for lightweight, high-strength steels.

The report examines performance-based specifications (PBSs), which define desired outputs rather than prescriptive inputs, as a tool for sustainable public procurement. While PBSs can drive innovation and circular economy models, they shift the public sector's burden to the evaluation and monitoring stages and require robust data and financial frameworks to succeed.

The document describes a shift from the first Industrial Revolution's focus on labor productivity to a new 'Resource Revolution' focused on decoupling economic growth from resource consumption. It details five key strategies—substitution, optimization, virtualization, circularity, and waste elimination—supported by examples from companies such as Tesla, UPS, and Nest Labs, to create a mutually supportive relationship between business and the environment.

The document argues that subnational governments are essential for implementing sustainable development policies because they are closest to citizens' needs and can foster grassroots innovation. It emphasizes the need for 'vertical coordination'—the linking of local, subnational, national, and supranational levels—to ensure policy coherence. Using empirical research, the author identifies good practice examples in Europe (such as Tyrol, Austria) and other regions (such as Bhutan), while noting that many regions lack systematic links to national strategies due to political independence or administrative bottlenecks. The briefing recommends a 'metagovernance' approach that mixes hierarchical, market, and network styles to better integrate sustainable development across all levels of government.

The report identifies China as highly vulnerable to copper supply disruptions due to its heavy reliance on imports, particularly from Chile, Australia, and Peru. It highlights significant sustainability risks associated with copper mining, including high greenhouse gas emissions, energy intensity, and social conflicts. To mitigate these risks, the document recommends that the Chinese government strengthen the capacity of its embassies, engage with international sustainability standards, explore fiscal incentives, and integrate green procurement criteria into public policy.