Executive Summary scp targets indicators unep

2015 Discussion Paper 2 2

1. Executive Summary

Fu da e tal ha ges i the a so ieties o su e a d p odu e a e i dispe sa le fo a hie i g glo al sustai a le de elop e t, states The Future We Want, the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development Rio+20. Over the past twenty years, sustainable consumption and production SCP has become a priority area for governments as the world transitions to more economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable patterns of development. How SCP will be addressed in the Sustainable Development Goals SDGs, and the post-2015 development agenda, have yet to be agreed by Member States, as options for goals and specific targets are currently under negotiation. Even more uncertain, at the time of publishing, is how SCP targets will be measured and which indicators of progress will be selected. The present discussion paper reviews a range of proposals for SCP targets and indicators, some of them made during the deliberations of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals OWG on SDGs. The paper assesses the scientific basis of these various targets and indicators to help build consensus on which might be useful in the specific context of the SDGs. It also offers some suggestions for differentiation of specific targets for countries with different development status. Member States are currently discussing in the OWG on SDGs whether the issue of SCP will appear in the SDGs as a stand-alone goal, or as a cross-cutting issue represented in targets across a number of goals. The Rio+20 Outcome Document and the 10 Year Framework Programmes on SCP 10YFP address SCP primarily as a thematic area and outline its linkages to other sectors. The report of the High Level Panel HLP on the Post-2015 Development Agenda only considers SCP as a cross-cutting issue, and does not suggest it as a stand-alone goal. This oss- utti g app oa h of the HLP epo t is likewise followed by several other proposals for SDG sets SDSN 2013, UNGC 2013. At the same time, there may be several reasons to have a stand-alone SCP goal as proposed in ASEF 2014, EEB 2014, Akenji Bengtsson 2014. Many countries, especially in Asia and Europe, already have measurable SCP targets and indicators. Furthermore, several economic sectors such as mining, tourism or waste management, which are important from the SCP point of view, cannot be easily covered under other currently proposed goals. Thirdly, SCP is a fundamental issue linked to long- term sustainability, which may not gain enough attention if it is only seen as an integrated, cross- sectoral principle. In order to support countries in leapfrogging to SCP practices, the reports cited above also suggest that technology transfer, capacity-building and stakeholder involvement are crucial, with specific reference to safeguarding traditional knowledge. While all three reports address the production side of SCP, the HLP report also strongly highlights the need for progress on consumption side, by emphasizing sustainable lifestyles and the need for behavioural changes. It is important that the future Sustainable Development Goals SDGs address both the consumption and production sides of the issue, and are relevant for both developed and developing countries. Given the past experience and policymaking on SCP, which has predominantly focused on promoting sustainable production, the objective of achieving sustainable consumption is relatively under- represented in the present discussion paper. This is also the case in the focus areas of the SDGs have so far been developed in the course of discussions and negotiations in the OWG on SDGs. It is also important to note that, given the universal nature of the SDGs and the post-2015 development agenda, goals and targets related to SCP will need to be relevant to and allow flexibility 2015 Discussion Paper 2 3 to respond to country-specific situations. Thought will need to be given to how to construct targets a d i di ato s hi h effe ti el i e ti ize ha ge i o su ptio a d p odu tio patte s. Based on the review of official documents, reports, and United Nations processes, through an extensive methodology that is detailed in the Annex of the present paper, the following SCP targets and indicators have been identified as being among the most important for inclusion in the SDGs. Whether these targets and indicators are included under a stand-alone SCP goal, or are integrated under other issue-specific goals, it appears crucial that the issue of sustainable consumption and production be placed at the core of the next global development agenda. To assist member states and other stakeholders in considering these possible targets and indicators, they have been grouped under some of the focus areas defined by the OWG on SDGs, as reflected in the draft of 17 April 2014, prepared by the co-chairs. A matrix summarizing them appears immediately below, and the rationale for proposing them is explored in more depth in the main body of the present paper. This discussion paper has been prepared prior to the first meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly UNEA 1, in June 2014. The paper also aims to help inform the ongoing negotiations in the OWG on SDGs, which already indicate a strong interest among member states in promoting a shift to sustainable consumption and production patterns. Focus area Target Indicators 2. Sustainable agriculture, food security and nutrition End hunger, ensure every adult and child receives adequate nutrition, with a focus on local and regional food security Portion of population below minimum level of dietary energy consumption of children suffering from stunting, wasting, anaemia Average calorie intake of lowest decilequintile by income Average calorie consumption per regionor country of locally and regionally grown food in diets Restore agricultural productivity of one third of severely degraded abandoned land by 2030 of restored agricultural land of degraded land regenerated Land affected by land degradation and desertification mapped as dryland Reduce excess nutrient release by increase nutrient use efficiency in agriculture to reduce losses i.e. close gap between nutrient input and plant uptake kg of input N, P, K per kg of N, P, K in crop wastewater treated with nutrient recovery also linked to sanitation of animal waste recycled Reduce food loss along the food supply chain and waste at the consumption stage by 50 per cent by 2030 of food lost prior to consumption: losses on the field, post- harvest, storage, manufacturing, processing and distribution stages. of food waste at the consumption stage. Limit global cropland to 0.2 hectares per capita Domestic extraction of biomass Biomass footprint of consumption Crop biomass, livestock fodder, feedstock for biofuels

6. Water and sanitation