Environmental protection

Sustainable Consumption and Production

Our actions

EU and International Cooperation
Strengthening UK and international measures to improve the environmental performance of products and services

Our vision for SCP depends on international co-operation. Economic growth in both developed and developing countries drives trade in goods and services across the world in complex and fast-changing supply chains. For example, in the lifestyle of a fridge or computer, extraction of raw materials, manufacturing, use and disposal may all occur in different countries. The Government, therefore, cannot make policy in isolation.

The Government will therefore press to strengthen:

  • European Union (EU) efforts, by putting sustainable consumption and production at the heart of the new EU sustainable development strategy, and through a new thematic strategy on natural resources linked to action in key areas such as products, environmental technologies, commodities and public procurement.
  • Outcomes from the United Nations' 'Marrakech Process', set up to take forward the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) commitment on sustainable consumption and production. The UK is liaising with the United Nations Environment Programme and international partners to establish a technical task force to promote co-operation and improvements in sustainable products.
  • Co-operation within the G8, by building on its '3Rs' (reduce, reuse, and recycle) initiative, hosted by the Japanese government in April 2005.
  • Partnerships with major developing countries.
EU Natural Resources Thematic Strategy

In December 2005, the European Commission published its Thematic Strategy on the sustainable use of natural resources.

Its objective is to ensure that the consumption of resources, and their associated impacts, do not exceed the carrying capacity of the environment - and aims to break the linkages between economic growth and resource use.

The UK have produced a Regulatory Impact Assessment for this Thematic Strategy, which is available for public consultation:

Links

 

 

Page last modified: 1 August 2006
Page published: 21 November 2001

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs