Sustainable Consumption and Production: A Crucial Goal for Sustainable Development—Reflections on the Spanish SDG Implementation Report

Abstract

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have elicited multiple initiatives worldwide, aspiring to transform the world while leaving no one behind. As reports show, some advances have been made, although these are not sufficient to counter the challenges of global environmental, socio-economic and humanitarian crises. Transitioning toward sustainable development requires simultaneous progress in all 17 SDGs. These goals represent a comprehensive framework made up of interconnected, indivisible aspects, revealing the multidimensional nature of the task. This article focuses on SDG 12, the goal that aims to ensure sustainable consumption and production. Tackling the current patterns of consumption and production is crucial for sustainability because these are the main drivers of serious environmental and social impacts. Taking the European Union’s conceptualisation of the circular economy as a reference, the article makes inroads into the transformation required to achieve this goal and interlinks it to the other 16 SDGs. Drawing on the Spanish Voluntary Report presented in 2018, the study shows the limitations in assessing progress with the tools available. Though we cannot generalise, the example of Spain provides insights of global interest. Achieving SDG 12 involves major transformations, including industrial processes and society as a whole. Evidently, this represents a huge challenge, as well as a great opportunity to foster sustainable development for policy-makers and stakeholders. Advancing towards this societal aspiration requires greater commitment in order to embrace change in a systemic and coherent way, enhancing the means of implementation and engaging all stakeholders.