scholarly journals Evolution and Current Challenges of Sustainable Consumption and Production

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 9379
Author(s):  
Peter Glavič

This review paper examines the past, present, and future of sustainable consumption and production (SCP). The history of the Sustainable Development Goal No. 12 (i.e., to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns) is presented and analyzed. A definition of the sustainable consumption is given and the role of education is explained. The present status and existing trends of SCP are introduced by analyzing unsustainable behavior and the existing dilemma, namely sustainable growth or degrowth. A very broad range of methods is used for measuring and evaluating SCP within sustainable development. To forecast the future of SCP, important trends are presented. The future development of SCP will follow several megatrends and it will require reduced personal and collective consumption (degrowth). Energy usage in buildings, renewable energy sources, and energy storage will be important in that respect. Transportation emissions will continue to be lowered. Waste, especially food waste, shall be reduced, and consumer products shall become more durable. All waste must be collected and separated to be reused. SPC is elaborated in view of the two approaches—Industry 4.0 (smart factory), and the “Sixth Wave” evolution. Net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, resource efficiency, and zero waste will be at the forefront of future activities. A circular economy requires extension of product lifetimes, and the reuse and recycling of products. Reducing emissions, pollution and specific energy, water, and raw material usage (especially critical raw materials), as well as the role of digitalization, will be important.

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-28
Author(s):  
Andrey Sakharov ◽  
◽  
Inna Andronova ◽  

The rationalization of production and consumption patterns lies at the core of sustainable development as it determines the level of anthropogenic impact on the environment, which is ultimately the subject of all international climate arrangements. This topic broadly encompasses not only sustainable development goal (SDG) 12, but also certain aspects of SDGs 7 and 11. The role of BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) in promoting the concept of sustainability globally is determined by their place among the leading producers and consumers of natural resources and emitters of pollutants, as well as the parties to major global agreements in this area. This article focuses on the institutional contribution of the BRICS agenda to the international community’s efforts to achieve the SDG targets related to the rationalization of resource production and consumption. In addition, because the socio-economic crisis of 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is seen as one of the factors impeding the implementation of the goals, the article also highlights the impact of COVID-19 and the crisis response of BRICS governments on long-term strategic planning for sustainable development.


2019 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Olja Munitlak Ivanovic

Ethical and ecological responsibility represent the root of sustainable development taking into account intergenerational justice. Mass production and consumption have left negative effects on the environment. Disregarding ecological responsibility, production processes were mainly based on uncontrollable use of raw materials and non-renewable energy sources. Taking into account limitation of raw materials, economic and ecological disasters, a concept of resilience has been developed to make all elements of society flexible in terms of unwanted shocks. This chapter describes two conceptual economic models: linear and circular. The linear model is based on the principle “take, produce, consume, and throw,” meaning that usability of waste is reduced and that waste is simply thrown out after consumption. Circular economic model takes into account environmental responsibility, but it also makes companies more competitive. Waste is treated and processed adequately and used as raw material in production, thus increasing competitiveness. Waste that cannot be processed is disposed permanently.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 2968
Author(s):  
Kamil Roman ◽  
Michał Roman ◽  
Dominika Szadkowska ◽  
Jan Szadkowski ◽  
Emilia Grzegorzewska

The aim of this study was the investigation of the effect of growth conditions of energy willow (Salix viminalis L.) on its physical and chemical parameters towards lignocellulosic biofuels. This work is linked to the global trend of replacing fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) with energy and renewable fuels. This energy transition is dictated by the reduction of the human-induced greenhouse effect (to the greatest extent by industrial development). Changing from traditional to renewable energy sources results in industry becoming less dependent on fuels whose sources are beginning to run out, and in energy processing being broken down into smaller sectors with greater flexibility to change and less susceptibility to failure. The use of lignocellulosic raw materials such as wood, straw, food industry waste, wood, and post-consumer products such as old furniture for energy purposes allows the use of substances which bind the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in their cellular structure during growth. In order to optimise the costs of producing such energy and minimise its impact on the environment, these plants should be located as close as possible to the source of raw materials. One of the most important characteristics for the profitability of energy production from woody biomass is a high biomass yield. For this purpose, the raw material used for this study was energy willow (Salix viminalis L.) seedlings, which are often used for energy crops. Due to the moisture-loving nature of the substrate, the effect of the addition of the active substance prednisonum as a catalyst for water adsorption from the substrate was investigated. In order to determine the substances formed during the thermal decomposition of energy willow (Salix viminalis L.) wood, a pyrolysis process was carried out at 450 °C using pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (PY/GC-MS).


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 8760 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo Pineiro-Villaverde ◽  
María Teresa García-Álvarez

In the framework of the European Union’s Sustainable Development Policy, the promotion of sustainable consumption and production patterns has been a key issue. The explanation is given by their capacity to address social and economic development within the carrying capacity of ecosystems and decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation. The EU has established an extensive range of proposals on sustainable consumption and production (SCP), which include an energy- and resource-efficient economy, circular economy, waste prevention and recycling, among others. This paper contributes, by using both factorial and regression analysis, to the identification of fundamental constructs that define SCP in the EU-28, their links with resource productivity and the role of governments and enterprises in its improvement by means of investment in research, development and innovation over the period 2001–2018. Some recommendations to policy-makers are proposed in the paper in order to take actions directly on SCP, such as promoting the use of recycled raw materials in public works, or imposing the need for Ecolabel certification to contract with public administration.


Author(s):  
Olja Munitlak Ivanovic

Ethical and ecological responsibility represent the root of sustainable development taking into account intergenerational justice. Mass production and consumption have left negative effects on the environment. Disregarding ecological responsibility, production processes were mainly based on uncontrollable use of raw materials and non-renewable energy sources. Taking into account limitation of raw materials, economic and ecological disasters, a concept of resilience has been developed to make all elements of society flexible in terms of unwanted shocks. This chapter describes two conceptual economic models: linear and circular. The linear model is based on the principle “take, produce, consume, and throw,” meaning that usability of waste is reduced and that waste is simply thrown out after consumption. Circular economic model takes into account environmental responsibility, but it also makes companies more competitive. Waste is treated and processed adequately and used as raw material in production, thus increasing competitiveness. Waste that cannot be processed is disposed permanently.


Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 443
Author(s):  
Elena Širá ◽  
Rastislav Kotulič ◽  
Ivana Kravčáková Vozárová ◽  
Monika Daňová

The Europe 2020 Strategy was proposed with a long-term vision to ensure prosperity, development, and competitiveness for the member countries. This strategy is divided into three main areas named “growth”. One of these is sustainable growth. This is an area of sustainability, where the partial targets are referred to as the “20-20-20 approach”, and includes a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, an increase in energy efficiency, and the sharing of renewable energy sources. However, questions arise, including: How do member states meet these targets? Which countries are leaders in this area? According to these stated questions, the aim of this article is to assess how EU countries are meeting the set targets for sustainable growth resulting from the Europe 2020 strategy and to identify the countries with the best results in this area. We looked for answers to these questions in the analysis of sustainable indicators, which were transformed into a synthetic measure for comparability of the resulting values. Finally, we identified the Baltic states, Nordic countries (European Union members), Romania, and Croatia as the best countries in fulfilling the sustainable growth aims. As sustainable development and resource efficiency are crucial areas for the future, it is important to consider these issues.


2011 ◽  
Vol 61 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tristan Carter

AbstractThis paper reviews 50 years of obsidian studies at Neolithic Çatalhöyük in the Konya plain, central Anatolia. A number of key issues are addressed: (1) the source of the site's raw materials, the means and forms by which the obsidian was introduced to the site and the role of Çatalhöyük in the supra-regional dissemination of these raw materials; (2) the alleged gender associations of certain obsidian goods in the burial record and beyond; (3) a more general consideration of the social significance of the circulation and consumption of obsidian at the site, including the phenomena of hoarding and gifting, plus the important role of projectiles in the creation of social identities and various forms of ritual behaviour, not least the termination of the life of a building/individual; (4) the technotypological and raw material variability through time; (5) the use of obsidian in daily practice and craft-working.


2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-36
Author(s):  
Branko Blazevic

In this paper, the author focuses on the fundamental hypothesis that the adoption of a concept of regional sustainable development and the use of renewable energy sources are preconditions to organising an acceptable regional tourism offering based on an eco-philosophy The renewable development of tourism regions is the basic framework for research regarding opportunities for introducing renewable energy sources such as hydro energy, wind power, solar energy, geothermal energy, and biomass energy. The purpose of this paper is to indicate the real opportunities that exist for substituting conventional energy sources with renewable ones and the role of renewables in regional development from economic, environmental and sociological viewpoints. It should also be noted that renewable energy sources have a strong regional importance and can contribute significantly to local employment.


2021 ◽  
pp. 183933492110526
Author(s):  
Al Rosenbloom

This article is a commentary on how marketing scholarship can be more relevant as it tackles the human development challenges presented by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The commentary argues that as businesses are transforming themselves into purpose-driven organizations, marketing needs to be a part of that transformation. SDG 1 No Poverty and SDG 12 Sustainable Consumption and Production are discussed within the article. The commentary also tackles the institutional barriers that work against path-breaking SDG marketing scholarship: normative promotion and publication expectations along with the practitioner-academic research divide. Without realigning the incentives that reward original, boundary-spanning SDG marketing scholarship, the marketing discipline will be stuck in a cycle of rewarding one behavior while hoping for another.


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