This think piece identifies certain issues that are often “inconvenient” to discuss. It suggests several transformations to how we produce and consume natural resources that the international community must make to address inequalities.

    The report

      Intentionally Designing Sustainable Consumption and Production Policies and Practices to Reduce Inequalities

      A think piece of the International Resource Panel launched on 12 September 2024.

      Download the Think Piece: EN

      The way resources are extracted, processed, consumed, and disposed of, and the inequalities this leads to, are fueled by today’s global economy and the linear consumption and production systems that underpin it. The association between issues of equality, equity and justice, and global natural resources is not new. These issues are indeed historically bound to consumption and production systems, including as they relate to the history of colonialism and multilateral trade systems.

      Inequality is both a driver and a consequence of unsustainable consumption and production patterns. So, sustainable consumption and production (SCP) systems can and should be intentionally designed to reduce inequalities and seek equitable and just outcomes for all.

      This report identifies several actions related to how we produce and consume our resources, address the global trade imbalance, promote institutional changes and good governance, create the fiscal space to improve human well-being and support societal changes, incentivize technology adoption, and rethink the metric for measuring societal wellbeing. Designing for equity in the consumption and production transitions must be deliberate and requires processes that are just, transparent, and participatory.

      The global community is not on track to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This paper identifies certain issues that are often “inconvenient” to discuss. It suggests several transformations to how we produce and consume natural resources that the international community must make to address inequalities.

      Presented to the One Planet Network Forum 2024, this paper calls on the One Planet Network community, programmes, and partners to work to continue integrating issues of equality, equity and justice into international, national and local initiatives or policies supportive of sustainable consumption and production patterns. Without the recognition and consideration of the deleterious effects of inequalities on society, individuals and the environment, these policies and initiatives will not be able to express their full potential.

      Recommended citation: International Resource Panel (2024) Equity by Design: Sustainable Consumption and Production to Reduce Inequalities. Ayuk, E.T., Cantillon, B., Contreras, C., Fonta, W., Kniveton, D., Krause, D., Kulczycka, J., Mrówczyńska, N., Ngô, M., Vijay Kumar, S., Lucas, P., Pierre, F., Ramaswami, A., Razian, H., Ali, S., Subratty, D., & Wijkman, A. A think piece of the International Resource Panel.

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