Sustainable consumption and production.
Date: 2009-11-03
Institutions: Directorate-General for Environment
Subjects: durable goods, environmental policy, environmental protection, sustainable development

Sustainable  consumption 
and  production

The  way  we  produce,  use  and  dispose  of  goods 
is 
unsustainable and is rapidly depleting our planet’s natural 
resources.

 Our quality of life, prosperity and economic growth depend 
on living within ecological limits.

The EU is committed to sustainable development, growth and 
jobs. Achieving this means promoting better products, more 
effi  cient  production  methods  and  improved  consumption 
patterns.

Governments,  businesses  and  individual  citizens  need  to 
take action in order to create more sustainable societies.

The  global  nature  of  modern  economies  calls  for  policies 
that also address the impacts of EU lifestyles in other parts 
of the world.

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Better products
Fact 2:  Energy consumption in the EU is likely to increase by 

9 % between 2005 and 2020

The products we buy and use every day have a signiﬁ cant impact 
on the environment, from the materials used in their production, 
to the energy needed to use them and the waste they create once 
obsolete. 

If modern society is to be sustainable in the long term, products 
that  cause  the  least  environmental  impact  need  to  become 
the  accepted  standard  in  all  sectors.  Phasing  out  products 
that  use  excessive  energy  or  water  resources  or  that  contain 
hazardous  materials  is  an  important  ﬁ rst  step.  Addressing  the 
environmental aspects of product design has been successfully 
used  to  ban  refrigerators  and  aerosols  containing  ozone-
depleting chemicals, such as CFCs, and reduce the use of volatile 
organic compounds (VOCs) in paints and solvents. The directive 
on  the  restriction  of  the  use  of  certain  hazardous  substances 
(RoHS),  which  is  designed  to  minimise  the  environmental 
impact  of  waste  electrical  and  electronic  equipment,  ensures 
that  manufacturers  do  not  use  materials    or  components  that 
contain restricted substances. 

The design phase of a product is crucial. New minimum product 
standards  need  to  be  developed  to  reduce  the  impact  of 
goods  on  the  environment.  The  European  Commission  plans 
to  extend  compulsory  eco-design  requirements  —  already  in 
place for ‘energy-using’ products such as household appliances 
— to ‘energy-related’ products that have environmental impacts 
during  their  use,  for  example  windows  or  water-distribution 
devices.  Green  public  procurement  (see  box)  is  one  way  to 
drive  demand  for  the  bestperforming  products  by  mobilising 
the considerable buying power of public authorities. It can give 
important  signals  to  the  market,  encouraging  innovation  and 
paving  the  way  for  mass-market  take-up  of  more  sustainable 
products.

Doing more with less
Fact 1:  If  people  in  the  rest  of  the  world  lived  European 
lifestyles it would take the resources of two and a half 
planets to support them 

Europe has enjoyed unprecedented levels of prosperity in recent 
years:  more  jobs,  stable  economies,  low  unemployment  and 
high  productivity.  But  a  healthy  environment  is  essential  if  the 
strength and competitiveness of the economy is to be maintained. 
Continued  economic  growth,  changes  in  lifestyles  and  the 
increasing  use  of  technologies  have  resulted  in  ever-greater 
demand for products and services. The simple fact is that by using 
our  natural  and  energy  resources  ineﬃ  ciently,  we  are  producing 
more  waste  than  we  can  recycle  as  a  useful  resource,  and  are 
contributing to climate change. 

In  recent  decades,  progress  has  been  made  in  addressing  the 
environmental impacts of consumption and production: air quality 
has improved, waste and industrial pollution are better controlled, 
products  are  more  eﬃ  cient  and  consumers  are  better  informed. 
These are steps in the right direction, but more drastic measures 
are  needed  in  the  face  of  huge  environmental  challenges  such 
as  climate  change  and  the  rapid  loss  of  natural  resources  and 
biodiversity. 

Fundamental  changes  are  needed  in  how  natural  resources  are 
extracted  and  the  way  products  are  produced,  distributed,  used 
and disposed of. Action is needed at all levels of society — from 
individuals and industry through to central and local government 
—  in  order  to  reverse  current  trends  and  live  within  ecological 
limits.

The  European  Union  and  its  Member  States  have  recognised 
that a shift towards more sustainable economies and lifestyles is 
necessary.  The  European  Commission  launched  an  action  plan 
on sustainable consumption and production and on sustainable 
industrial  policy  in  July  2008  that  builds  on  and  strengthens 
existing policies and puts forward new measures and actions. 

It  proposes  a  dynamic  framework  to  improve  the  energy  and 
environmental performance of products, create demand for better 
products  and  help  consumers  make  better  choices.  Measures 
include ambitious product standards for eco-design, green public 
purchasing,  eco-labelling  and  eco-innovation.  Actions  address 
better products and smarter consumption, leaner production and 
global markets for sustainable products.

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Action on products
Design plays a crucial role in the environmental 
performance of products throughout their lives. 
The EU’s directive on  eco-design of energy-
using products (EuP) provides a framework 
for establishing minimum requirements for 
everyday products that account for a large 
proportion of total energy use. Products 
currently being assessed include street, offi  ce 
and home lighting, water boilers and televisions.

The Commission proposes to extend these 
requirements to energy-related products, 
which would make it possible to target priority 
product sectors such as water-using devices 
and building materials.

In addition, a number of labelling schemes 
exist at EU level to enable consumers to 
identify the most effi   cient products, such as 
those for electrical appliances. These will be 
extended to a wider range of products and 
environmental impacts in future.

Green procurement 
Spending by public authorities accounts for 
around 16 % of the EU’s gross domestic product. 
Legislation allows authorities to set environmental 
criteria before awarding public contracts — so-
called ‘green public procurement’ (GPP).

Green procurement can lead to cost savings, 
both for the public authorities and society as a 
whole. In addition to the direct environmental 
benefi ts, authorities that establish a green public 
procurement policy stimulate the market for 
green products and technologies, especially 
in sectors such as construction, transport and 
offi  ce equipment. The European Commission has 
launched several actions to encourage greater 
use of GPP. New initiatives will include common 
GPP criteria, target-setting and further legal and 
operational guidance. The setting of mandatory 
levels of GPP for a number of products is 
also being considered under the sustainable 
consumption and production action plan and 
will be developed further.

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Responsible and empowered consumers
Fact 3:  Households in Europe are major contributors to environmental 
problems such as climate change, air pollution, water pollution, 
land use and waste

Although environmental awareness is increasing, most people ﬁ nd it diﬃ  cult 
to  relate  their  personal  consumption  habits  to  large-scale  problems  such  is 
climate change. To reverse current unsustainable trends, consumers need to 
be well informed, empowered and feel that their actions make a diﬀ erence.

People  need  clear  and  better  information  about  which  changes  in  their 
spending habits will have the biggest impact. They need to know which are 
the best-performing products, how to make the most eﬃ  cient use of them 
and the cleanest ways to dispose of them.

A  number  of  labelling  systems  have  been  introduced  to  inform  consumers. 
The European eco-label, with its ﬂ ower logo, identiﬁ es products with the best 
environmental performance in several diﬀ erent product groups (see box). The 
scheme is being revised to make it more attractive to businesses and consumers. 

Another example is the EU energy label, which helps consumers identify the 
most energy-eﬃ  cient kitchen appliances and light bulbs. 

Several  large  retail  chains  and  producers  are  already  reducing  waste, 
providing environmental information on goods and selling more sustainable 
products. Their  initiatives  will  be  reinforced  through  a  Europe-wide  Retail 
Forum aimed at reducing the environmental footprint of the retail sector 
and its supply chain, promoting more sustainable products and providing 
better information for customers.

Leaner production
Fact 4:  The way we produce goods and the effi  ciency of the products 
we use has a direct link to the challenges of climate change and 
the use of natural resources 

Policies  across  the  EU  have  been  relatively  successful  in  cleaning  up 
industrial production and encouraging more eﬃ  cient processes, bringing 
reductions in pollution and waste and higher levels of recycling. However, 
more  needs  to  be  done  to  promote  the  concept  of  materials  eﬃ  ciency 
and  propel  the  most  innovative  eco-technologies  into  the  mainstream. 
Because it takes a long time to recoup the costs of large-scale investments 
in  industrial  production,  companies  need  ﬁ nancial  support  and  a  stable 
regulatory framework to invest in more eﬃ  cient processes. 

 
 
Flower power
With its distinctive 
fl ower logo, the 
EU eco-label is a 
clear way to help 
consumers make 
environment-
friendly choices 
when they choose 
products and services ranging from 
washing powder to campsites.

Products have to meet a set of strict 
environmental criteria to qualify for 
the ecolabel logo. The scheme has 
expanded since its introduction in 
1992, and now covers 26 product 
groups, including textiles, paints, 
paper, detergents, household 
appliances and services such as tourist 
accommodation.

The revised scheme will place a 
stronger focus on products and 
services with the most signifi cant 
environmental impacts and the 
highest potential for improvement. 
It will also reduce bureaucracy and 
simplify criteria, allowing the number 
of product groups covered by the label 
to increase.

Further information: 
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/
eussd/escp_en.htm

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/
gpp/index_en.htm 

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/
emas/index_en.htm 

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/
eco_design/index_en.htm 

http://ec.europa.eu/energy/
effi  ciency/labelling/labelling_
en.htm 

http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/
households/eea-activities

http://esa.un.org/
marrakechprocess/

One way that businesses can improve their eﬃ  ciency is through the implementation 
of environmental management systems such as EMAS (the EU’s eco-management and 
audit scheme), a voluntary system that helps companies optimise their production 
processes and make more eﬀ ective use of resources. The European Commission is 
revising  the  scheme  to  make  it  more  attractive  for  companies,  especially  small  to 
medium-sized businesses, by reducing costs and administration.

The  market  for  environmental  industries  is  growing  fast.  The  EU 
aims  to  foster  growth  in  eco-industries  through  the  creation  of  a 
friendlier  regulatory  environment  and  by  exploring  the  potential 
for  information  and  communications  technology  (ICT)  to  increase 
sustainability.

The global dimension 
Fact 5:  If current patterns of consumption continue, it is estimated that global 

resource use would quadruple within 20 years

The number of consumer goods and industrial supplies imported into Europe has 
increased signiﬁ cantly in recent years. 

Materials  are  extracted  and  processed  in  other  parts  of  the  world  and  then 
transported to European countries — all with negative environmental eﬀ ects. Often, 
the producing areas are developing countries which are the least able to deal with 
the mounting pressures on the environment. 

In  addition,  many  of  the  producer  countries,  such  as  China,  are  growing  rapidly, 
both  economically  and  in  population  number.  As  these  countries  become  more 
prosperous,  their  demand  for  resources  and  energy  increases.  If  these  countries 
continue  to  adopt  the  established  western  patterns  of  consumption,  the 
environmental pressures will increase even more dramatically.

The EU is working to promote good practice internationally, by encouraging more 
sustainable  consumption  and  production  policies  as  part  of  the  United  Nations 
10-year framework programme on sustainable consumption and production (known 
as the Marrakech process).

The  European  Commission  will  promote  international  agreements  on  carbon 
emission  reductions  in  individual  industry  sectors  as  part  of  ongoing  climate 
change negotiations. Other eﬀ orts will focus on trade policy and industrial dialogue 
to  eliminate  trade  tariﬀ s  for  low-carbon  technologies  and  environment-friendly 
products and services.

© European Commission, 2009
Reproduction is authorised provided 
the source is acknowledged.

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