Column Actions

The purpose of this indicator is to help assess the volume and geographical repartition of governments progressing on sustainable consumption and production.

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. Mainstreaming sustainable consumption and production in decision-making at all levels is a core function of the 10-Year Framework, which is expected to “support the integration of sustainable consumption and production into sustainable development policies, programs and strategies, as appropriate, including, where applicable, into poverty reduction strategies”. In addition, further information is being collected on the types, focus and orientation of the policy instruments that are being developed and used, to monitor their progression over time as well as their contribution to other Sustainable Development Goals. This should support evaluation of how much / how fast governments progress in the development and application of policies addressing sustainable consumption and production, whether at cross-cutting or sectoral level.

Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries, and Sustainable Development

Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries, and Sustainable Development

Biennial

Number of countries

The indicator is also considering both binding (laws and regulations) and non-binding policy instruments. The first category is essential to the shift, as binding instruments provide the legal ground for sustainable consumption, production and can be used for enforcement or to provide incentives. The ability to develop, pass and implement legislation is an indication of jurisdictions’ engagement in the shift towards sustainable consumption and production. This indicator can also help monitor the evolution of the global legislative landscape. The second category is also essential to ensure institutional engagement, commitment and ownership. In some cases, non-binding policy instruments can lead to the creation of new legal ones. The development and implementation of non-binding instruments across sectors also provides information on engagement of partners and other stakeholders in sustainable consumption and production.

Sustainable Consumption and Production: the working definition of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) 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.”.

Policy: although quite flexible and contexts specific, a policy is usually defined as a course of action that has been officially agreed by an entity or an organization (governmental or non-governmental) and is effectively implemented to achieve specific objectives.

Policy instruments for sustainable consumption and production: policy instruments refer to the means – methodologies, measures or interventions – that are used to achieve those objectives. In the case of SCP, such instruments are designed and implemented to reduce the environmental impacts of consumption and production patterns, with a view of generating economic and/or social benefits. 

Country (using the official SDG country list provided by UNDESA).

Ministry: Ministry of Environment / Sustainable Development / Natural Resources / Energy; Ministry of the Economy / Finance / Treasury; Ministry of Industry / Trade / Commerce / Labour; Ministry of Planning / Development / Infrastructures; Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Regional / International Cooperation; Ministry of Energy / Mineral Development / Power; Ministry of Science / Research / Technology / Innovation; Ministry of Agriculture / Livestock / Fisheries / Forestry / Food Security / Rural Affairs; Ministry of Tourism / Culture / Sports; Ministry of Transports / Roads / Works / Construction / Building; Ministry of Urban Development / Land Management / Housing; Ministry of Education / Higher Education / Youth; Ministry of Poverty Alleviation / Social Welfare / Families / Women.

Policy: macro-policy; policy instrument

Type of macro-policy: macro-policy specifically focused on SCP; macro-policy with SCP as a key priority/objective; sectoral macro-policy with SCP objectives.

Focus of “macro-policy with SCP as a key priority/objective”: sustainable development; green economy/green growth; circular economy; development/poverty eradication; other (specified).

Type of instrument: regulatory/legal; economic/financial; voluntary/self-regulatory.

Policy cycle stage: Under development (initial stage); just adopted; under implementation through specific actions; has reached its end date and has been evaluated.

Year of adoption: 2002 to 2022

 Legal status: binding/non-binding.

Sectors: Agriculture and fishery; Buildings and construction; Consumer goods; Culture and recreation; Financial sector; Education; Energy, Food & Beverage; Forestry; Environmental protection; Environmental services; Government and Civil Society; Housing; Industrial sector (Including SMEs); Scientific Research, Development and Innovation; Tourism; Transport; Waste (including Chemicals); Water.

Actors involved: national ministries or other specialized national agencies; local authorities; civil society organizations; scientific and technical organizations; United Nations/inter-governmental organizations; business sector.

Support received from non – national partner: United Nations/inter-governmental organizations; multilateral financial institutions; bilateral organizations; international non-governmental organizations

Support received from 10YFP: encouraged the development/implementation; technical support; financial support; capacity-building activities; experience and knowledge-sharing tools; no connection to 10YFP.

Support received from 10YFP programmes: sustainable public procurement; sustainable tourism; consumer information for SCP; sustainable food systems; sustainable lifestyles and education; sustainable buildings and construction; none of the above.

Link to other SDGs: SDG 1;2;3;4;5;6;7;8;9;10;11;13;14;15;16;17

Impact measured: Resource efficiency; environmental impact; human well-being. More detailed impact indicators in the 10YFP Indicators of Success.

Relevant links and attachments including electronic copies of the policies, or their drafts, relevant official reports, summary of consultations and any other relevant associated documents and web links should be attached to the reporting.

To be reported under this indicator, a government should have moved through one or more new stage(s) of the “Policy cycle” on one or more policy instrument(s) during the reporting period. This indicator is calculated at relevant aggregation levels based on the information collected from the National Focal Points and other government officials; users of the data should be mindful of double counting one same policy, when aggregating data across reporting years.

This indicator is used to assist the associated ministries with the creation of policies aimed at supporting Sustainable Consumption and Production.

The indicator does not provide any qualitative information and whether policies were well-designed or if a proper background analysis had been conducted, the quality of implementation, level of enforcement, and its effects. These aspects will have to be looked at through narrative reports / qualitative analysis.

All the metadata shown in this document was gathered from United Nation Statistics Division. The metadata was extracted from https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/.