SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

SDG 12 is to “ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.”

Did you know…

As the population continues to grow, the demand for natural resources, such as water and coal, also increases. It is incredibly important that resources are not strained and that environmental resources are conserved. 

The consumption of materials globally reached 92.1 billion tons in 2017 and if unchecked it is thought that the extraction of natural resources could reach 190 billion tons by 2060. 

People’s needs for resources have grown a great deal over the past few decades. In 1990, the resources extracted for one person’s consumption amounted to 8.1 tons. However in 2015 this number rose to nearly 12 tons per person.              

Targets                                                                                

• “By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.”

• “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.”

• “By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes… significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.”

• “By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.”

• “Encourage companies… to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle.”

How chemistry can help

Chemical companies create many products for different uses. They have improved their efforts to use water that is environmentally sustainable and to reduce food waste or loss. They are also working to improve food packaging and additives. They are implementing more sustainable handling of materials in order to prevent harmful waste being released into the environment. Better waste management systems are needed which the chemical industry can also design and operate. 

Chemistry can help develop products that can be more easily recycled or reused.  An example of a company making an effort to be more sustainable is BP. Due to an increase in concern about climate change, they have had to look at new ways of reducing their carbon footprint and other possible ways of sourcing energy. They have started using recycled cooking oil in their jet fuel, this reduces emissions by 60%. It doesn’t eradicate carbon emissions completely but it greatly decreases them and is a start in the production of more sustainable products, therefore helping to combat climate change (see SDG 13: Climate Action).