Smarter and cleaner : consuming and producing sustainably.
Date: 2010-08-06
Institutions: Directorate-General for Environment
Subjects: consumer goods, durable goods, energy saving, environmental policy, environmental protection, environmental standard, intermediate goods, waste recycling

Smarter 
and Cleaner

Consuming and 
producing sustainably

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Table of Contents

1.  Introduction 

2.   What is sustainable consumption and 

production? 

3.  What is the EU doing about it? 

4.   The Sustainable Consumption and 

Production and Sustainable Industrial 
Policy Action Plan 

Better products 
Smarter consumption 
Leaner and cleaner production 
Supporting global action 

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1.  

INTRODUCTION

The need t
The need to
The need to 
live within n
live within
ment
mental
environmental
limits

The need to live within 
environmental limits

To live sustainably, the Earth’s natural resources 
must be used at a rate at which they can be reple-
nished. However, our consumer-driven society is 
putting enormous pressure on the planet. 

Europe’s  environmental  footprint  is  one  of  the 
largest on the planet. If the rest of the world lived 
like Europeans, it would require the resources of 
more than two earths to support them. 

Economic  growth  and  the  development  of  mo-
dern  technologies  over  many  decades  have 
brought new levels of comfort to our lives. This 
has led to an ever-greater demand for products 
and services and, in turn, to a growing demand 
for energy and resources. 

The way we produce and consume is contribu-
ting to many of today’s environmental problems, 
such as global warming, pollution, the depletion 
of natural resources and biodiversity loss. 

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The  impacts  of  our  consumption  are  being 
felt globally: the EU is dependent on imports 
of  energy  and  natural  resources  and  an  in-
creasing  proportion  of  products  consumed 
in Europe are produced in other parts of the 
world. 

Unsustainable  consumption  and  produc-
tion  patterns  are  increasingly  affecting 
the natural environment, society, the eco-
nomy, and business. We need to live more 
sustainably.  That  means  doing  more  with 
less. 

Our  quality  of  life,  prosperity  and  economic 
growth depend on living within the limits of 
the  resources  available.  To  do  this  we  must 
change the way we design, make, use and dis-
pose  of  products.  Achieving  this  change  will 
involve  all  of  us  –  individuals,  households, 
business, local and national governments, as 
well as the global community.

This  brochure  explains  how  such  a  change 
can  happen.  It  looks  at  how  we  can  ensure 
suf(cid:2) cient  natural  resources  and  a  better  en-
vironment  for  future  generations  by  beco-
ming  smarter,  cleaner  and  more  energy  and 
resource-ef(cid:2) cient. 

EU  citizens  make  up  less  than  10% 
of  the  world’s  population  yet  they 
consume  half  of  the  world’s  meat 
production, one quarter of its paper 
and 15% of its energy. 

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2.  

 What is sustainable consumption 
and production?

Sustainable  consumption  and  production  means  using 
natural  resources  and  energy  more  ef(cid:2) ciently  and  redu-
cing  greenhouse  gas  emissions  and  other  environmental 
impacts. It is all about producing and using products and 
services in a way that is least harmful to the environment. 
The aim is to meet our basic needs for goods and services 
while bringing about a better quality of life and also en-
suring  that  there  are  suf(cid:2) cient  resources  left  for  future 
generations.

Consuming  sustainably  concerns  our  lifestyle,  buying 
behaviour  and  how  we  use  and  dispose  of  products  and 
services. Sustainable production focuses on reducing the 
environmental impacts of production processes and desi-
gning better products.

Resource and energy ef(cid:2) ciency are the basis of Europe’s 
future  competitiveness.  Sustainable  consumption  and 
production maximises the potential of business to trans-
form environmental challenges into economic opportuni-
ties while providing a better deal for consumers. 

Homes,  household  goods,  food  and  travel  are 
together  responsible  for  between  70  and  80%  of  all 
environmental  impacts,  ranging  from  pollution  and 
greenhouse gas emissions to land use and waste.

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3.   What is the EU doing about it?

Much  can  be  done  to  make  the  way  we 
consume  and  produce  in  Europe  more  sus-
tainable,  without  additional  costs,  and  with 
bene(cid:2) ts for companies and households. 

The European Union and its Member States 
recognise  that  a  shift  to  more  sustainable 
economies and lifestyles is vital and is taking 
action. In July 2008, the European Commis-
sion presented an Action Plan on Sustainable 
Consumption  and  Production  and  Sustai-
nable Industrial Policy. 

This aims to improve the overall environmen-
tal performance of products throughout their 
entire life cycle, to promote and stimulate the 
demand  for  better  products  and  production 
technologies,  and  to  help  consumers  make 
better choices. It also seeks to encourage EU 
industry to take advantage of opportunities to 

innovate in order to ensure its continued lea-
dership in environmental performance.

The  action  plan  builds  on  existing  ap-
proaches,  such  as  legislation  on  the  design 
of energy-using products, labelling schemes, 
environmental management systems and in-
centives for citizens and public authorities for 
buying environmentally friendly products. It 
complements these and provides for new ac-
tions where gaps exist to make them work to-
gether in an integrated way. It also explores 
ways  of  promoting  sustainable  production 
and consumption internationally.

EU  measures  on  sustainable  consumption 
and  production  focus  on  four  main  objec-
tives: better products, smarter consumption, 
leaner  and  cleaner  production,  and  suppor-
ting global efforts. 

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/escp_en.htm
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/environment/sip_new_pages/sip_a1_en.htm

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4.  

 The Sustainable Consumption and Production 
and Sustainable Industrial Policy Action Plan

Better products

Better products
Better products 
Better products

Many  of  the  products  we  buy  and  use  every 
day have a signi(cid:2) cant impact on the environ-
ment, from the materials used to make them, 
to  the  energy  needed  to  use  them  and  the 
waste they create once they are obsolete. 

If modern society is to be sustainable in the 
long  term,  the  products  that  cause  the  least 
environmental harm must become the accep-
ted standard.

Designing in energy and 
resource ef(cid:2) ciency

The (cid:2) rst important step is to phase out products 
that use excessive energy and natural resources, 
or that contain hazardous substances or release 
harmful emissions. The next step is to promote 
energy  and  resource-ef(cid:2) cient  products  with 
good environmental performance. This means 
starting at the design phase. It is estimated that 
80%  of  all  product-related  environmental 
impacts are determined at this stage.

In 2005, the EU adopted a law to make ma-
nufacturers  focus  on  energy  use  and  other 
environmental aspects during the conception 
and design phase of a product. 

Under the Directive on Ecodesign of Energy-
using  Products,  product-speci(cid:2) c  measures 
can set performance requirements for a vast 
range  of  everyday  products  that  use  a  large 
amount of energy, such as boilers, water hea-
ters, computers or televisions. Products that 
do  not  meet  these  requirements  cannot  be 
placed on the European market. 

Although  its  main  purpose  is  to  reduce  en-
ergy use, the Directive imposes an obligation 
to  consider  the  entire  life  cycle  of  products. 
This  allows  environmental  considerations, 
like  materials  use,  water  use,  emissions, 
waste issues and recyclability to be taken into 
account.

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The action plan extends the Directive to in-
clude energy-related products. It will cover 
products which do not consume energy du-
ring  use  but  which  have  a  direct  impact  on 
energy  consumption,  such  as  water-using 
devices or windows. Water-saving taps and 
shower heads, for example, can reduce water 
consumption  and  therefore  decrease  the 
amount of energy used to heat the water, sa-
ving money as well as resources. Under the 
enlarged  Directive,  compulsory  minimum 
standards can also be set for these products. 

In  addition  to  minimum  requirements,  the 
revised  Ecodesign  Directive  will  also  de(cid:2) ne 
voluntary environmental performance bench-
marks.  For  example,  if  certain  water  boilers 
reduce  their  energy  consumption  by  more 
than  other  similar  products,  the  standard  of 
these boilers should serve as a benchmark for 
the entire industry. Requirements and bench-
marks will be revised periodically to take into 
account technological progress.

In  2012,  the  Commission  will  carry  out  a 
review  of  the  effectiveness  of  the  enlarged 
Ecodesign  Directive  and  consider  whether  it 
should be extended to all products. The action 
plan will also be reviewed at this time.

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

Consistent data 
and methods

Consistent and reliable methods and data are essential for 
policy-makers  and  businesses  to  assess  the  overall  envi-
ronmental  performance  of  products  and  to  monitor  pro-
gress. The European Commission is in the process of de(cid:2) -
ning quality-assured methods for assessing environmental 
performance of products over their entire life cycle. These will be made 
available in a handbook for industry and commerce.

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onsumption:
Smarter consumption:
onsumption:
shopping for
shopping for 
shopping for
sustainability

Smarter consumption: 
shopping for sustainability

Consumers can play an important role in pro-
tecting  the  environment  through  the  choices 
they make when buying products. Buying green 
is easier than you may think. There are a num-
ber  of  labelling  systems  that  help  consumers 
by  providing  details  about  the  environmental 
performance of certain products. While EU le-
gislation  like  the  Ecodesign  Directive  ensures 
technical  improvement  of  products,  labelling 
is helpful in providing crucial information for 
consumers to make informed choices. 

Look for the labels

The  EU’s  Energy  Labelling  Directive  already 
requires  manufacturers  and  retailers  to  pro-
vide consumers with labels showing the energy 
consumption of household appliances, such as 
washing machines or dishwashers.

The action plan extends this labelling to a wider 
range of products, including energy-using and 
energy-related  products.  This  will  bring  mul-
tiple bene(cid:2) ts. Labels indicating the insulation 
capacity  of  windows  can,  for  example,  enable 
consumers not only to choose better windows 
when renovating their homes but also to save 
money on their energy bills.

Another easy way for both public and private 
consumers  to  choose  the  most  environmen-
tally friendly products on the market is to look 
out  for  the  EU  Ecolabel  which  is  easily  reco-
gnisable by its (cid:3) ower logo. The label takes into 
account the main environmental impacts of a 
product  as  well  as  its  environmental  perfor-
mance.  Only those goods with the lowest envi-
ronmental impact – about 10-20% of products 
–  will  be  able  to  meet  the  EU  Ecolabel  crite-
ria. The EU Ecolabel currently covers cleaning 
products, appliances, paper products, clothing, 
home and garden products, lubricants and ser-
vices such as tourist accommodation. 

The action plan strengthens the EU Ecolabel, 
widening the number of products and services 
covered  and  focusing  on  those  with  the  most 
signi(cid:2) cant environmental impacts and highest 
potential for improvement. This broader scope 
includes the possibility to 
develop  criteria  for  food 
and  drink  products.  The 
revised  EU  Ecolabel  will 
also  reduce  bureaucracy 
and  simplify  criteria  for 
companies  applying  for 
the label. 

http://ec.europa.eu/
energy/ef(cid:2) ciency/labelling/labelling_en.htm

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Buying and selling green

If  we  are  to  change  our  consumer  habits 
then we need to know where and how to buy 
environmentally  friendly  products.  As  key 
messengers between consumers and produ-
cers, retailers have enormous power to raise 
awareness  and  in(cid:3) uence  shopping  choices 
by putting more sustainable options on our 
shelves.

Retailers are increasingly recognising sus-
tainability  as  a  significant  opportunity  for 
their  businesses  to  grow,  compete  and  in-
novate.  However,  greater  efforts  are  nee-
ded in the retail sector and its supply chain 
to promote more sustainable products and 
give better information to consumers. They 
can commit, for example, to offering more 
sustainable  timber  products,  promoting 
the  purchase  of  energy-saving  light  bulbs, 
and  reducing  their  own  environmental 
footprint. 

To help achieve this, the European Commis-
sion  has  set  up  a  Retail  Forum,  involving  a 
number of other stakeholders, including pro-
ducers,  as  well  as  consumer  and  other  non-
governmental organisations.

The aim is to get large individual retailers to 
commit to a series of ambitious and concrete 

environmental  actions,  which  will  be  moni-
tored  regularly.  The  European  Commission 
will also support measures to increase consu-
mer awareness and help shoppers make more 
sustainable choices. 

http://ec.europa.eu/
environment/industry/
retail/index_en.htm

Besides  the  work  of  the 
Retail Forum to promote 
sustainable 
shopping, 
a  number  of  tools  have 
been  developed  to  pro-
vide information to young 
people  and  adults  about 
sustainable  consumption, 
among  other  issues.  These 
include  the  Europa  Diary 
for  young  students,  which 
is  distributed  in  schools  in  the  EU,  and    an 
online 
tool 
which  will  include  a  module  on  sustainable 
consumption from November 2009. 

information  and  education 

http://www.dolceta.eu

http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/empowerment/
cons_education_en.htm#diary

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Spending public money wisely

Europe’s  public  authorities  are  in(cid:3) uential 
consumers. Every year, they spend 16% of the 
EU’s  GDP  –  or  around  €2  000  billion  –  on 
goods  and  services.  By  including  environ-
mental considerations in their tendering pro-
cedures,  public  authorities  can  save  energy, 
water  and  resources  and  reduce  waste  and 
pollution, while getting best value for money 
from their contracts. This so-called green pu-
blic  procurement  (GPP)  can  play  an  impor-
tant role in stimulating new products, green 
technologies and innovation. 

The  European  Commission  has  proposed 
that  half  of  all  tendering  procedures  in  the 
EU Member States should be green by 2010. 
This target is linked to a process for setting 
common criteria for 10 priority product and 
service groups. The Commission provides a 
training toolkit and guidance to help public 
authorities  apply  the  criteria,  which  have 
been  developed in cooperation with Member 
States and stakeholders.

A  recent  study  shows  that  practising  GPP 
in  the  ten  priority  sectors  could  lead  to  an 
average  reduction  of  25%  in  CO2  emissions 

The ten priority 
product and 
service groups 
for GPP

1. Construction

2. Food and catering services

3. Transport

4. Electricity

5. Of(cid:2) ce IT equipment

6. Textiles

7. Copying and graphic paper

8. Furniture

9. Cleaning products and services

10. Gardening products and services

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

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and  reduce  the  overall  cost  of  public  pur-
chasing  by  1%.  The  same  study  also  shows 
that,  on  average,  in  the  seven  best-perfor-
ming  Member  States  (Austria,  Denmark, 
Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden 
and  the  UK),  45%  of  the  total  procurement 
value  and  55%  of  the  total  number  of  pro-
curement contracts included environmental 
considerations.

New  legislation  has  recently  introduced 
mandatory  GPP  criteria  in  certain  sectors. 
The Energy Star Regulation sets minimum 

energy efficiency standards for the purchase 
of  IT  equipment  by  central  governments 
and  EU  institutions.  The  Directive  on  the 
procurement  of  clean  and  energy  efficient 
vehicles obliges public authorities and ope-
rators to take into account the lifetime costs 
of  energy  consumption,  CO2  and  pollutant 
emissions.  For  energy-related  products, 
the  Commission  has  proposed  the  setting 
of  mandatory  GPP  levels  for  public  autho-
rities in its revision of the Energy Labelling 
Directive.

Incentives for 
buying green

A  number  of  EU  Member 
States  already  provide  incen-
tives  to  encourage  consumers 
and  companies  to  buy/pro-
duce  greener  products  and 
they 
services.  The  criteria 
have  to  meet  can,  however,  vary  substantially  from  one 
country to another. 

Under the action plan, certain priority products will have 
to meet a speci(cid:2) c level of energy or environmental perfor-
mance to be eligible for incentive initiatives and for pur-
chase by public authorities in Member States and the EU 
institutions.

This  level  will  be  identi(cid:2) ed  through  one  of  the  labelling 
classes,  when  mandatory  labelling  is  set  for  a  particular 
product  group.  It  will  be  up  to  Member  States  to  decide 
whether and in which form to provide incentives. The Eu-
ropean  Commission  is  also  examining  options  for  provi-
ding tax breaks for consumers who buy green products.

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From vicious to virtuous circle

Although  environmental  awareness  is  in-
creasing,  most  people  find  it  difficult  to 
relate  their  personal  consumption  habits 
with  large-scale  issues,  such  as  climate 
change. 

Yet  the  full  cost  of  producing  and  consu-
ming  goods  and  services  is  not  re(cid:3) ected  in 
market prices. They do not take into account 
the  environmental  problems  generated  by 
consumption  and  production,  such  as  cli-
mate change impacts associated with green-
house  gas  emissions,  loss  of  biodiversity 
resulting  from  the  excessive  use  of  natural 
resources  and  human  health  problems  due 
to pollution.

Consumers often do not choose products that 
perform  better  from  a  life  cycle  perspective 

because of the often higher upfront costs and, 
in some cases, lack of knowledge of their fu-
ture impacts and pay-offs. 

Low  levels  of  demand  do  not  encourage 
companies  to  invest  in  product  design  that 
reduces  negative  environmental  impacts  as-
sociated  with  their  production,  use  and  dis-
posal.  Technological  lock-in  is  maintained, 
and better products and services – from the 
environmental  perspective  –  are  not  always 
present on the market. 

The challenge is to turn this vicious circle into 
a virtuous circle. This requires improving the 
overall  environmental  performance  of  pro-
ducts  throughout  their  life  cycle,  promoting 
and  stimulating  the  demand  for  better  pro-
ducts  and  production  technologies,  and  hel-
ping consumers to make better choices through 
more coherent and simpli(cid:2) ed labelling.

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Extraction of
Natural 
Resources

Design

Reuse,
Recycling,
Recovery

Manufacturing

Collection

Distribution

Use

Life cycle of products

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andLeaner and cleaner
Leaner and cleaner
production

eaner and c
eaner and cleane
eaner and c
Leaner and cleaner
Leaner and cleaner 
aner and c
Leaner and cleaner
Leaner and cleaner
production
production
production

EU policies have achieved a good deal of suc-
cess in cleaning up industrial production and 
encouraging more ef(cid:2) cient processes, leading 
to  signi(cid:2) cant  reductions  in  pollution  and 
waste  and  higher  levels  of  recycling.  How-
ever, more needs to be done to promote the 
ef(cid:2) ciency  of  materials  and  propel  the  most 
innovative technologies into the mainstream.

Improving resource ef(cid:2) ciency reduces depen-
dency  on  raw  materials,  encourages  optimal 
resource  use  and  recycling,  and  can  signi(cid:2) -
cantly reduce running costs for businesses. 

Resource productivity – how much economic 
value is created per resource used – has im-
proved in the EU by 2.2% annually over the 
last ten years, largely through improvements 
in ef(cid:2) ciency and the growing role of services 
in  the  economy.  Under  the  action  plan,  fur-
ther tools are being developed to monitor and 
benchmark resource ef(cid:2) ciency.

New solutions for new challenges

Green technology – environmentally friendly 
and  resource-ef(cid:2) cient  technologies  –  has  an 

important role to play in contributing to envi-
ronmental protection and to a more ef(cid:2) cient 
use of resources in Europe. Activities in this 
(cid:2) eld  are  implemented  by  the  EU’s  Environ-
mental Technologies Action Plan (ETAP). The 
eco-industries are one of the fastest growing 
sectors of the EU economy and an area where 
Europe is a global leader. Europe has roughly 
one-third of the world market for eco-techno-
logies,  which  is  projected  to  be  worth  more 
than €2200 billion by 2020. 

These  industries  provide  solutions  for  mea-
suring,  preventing  and  correcting  environ-
mental  damage  to  water,  air  and  soil,  and 
for  problems  such  as  waste,  noise  and  da-
mage  to  eco-systems.  This  includes  sectors 
such as waste and waste-water management, 
renewable  energy  sources,  environmental 
consulting,  air  pollution  and  sustainable 
construction.

One way we can measure innovation levels is 
by looking at the number of patents awarded. 
Eco-innovation patents in the EU are on the 
rise and the best-performing Member States 
grant 3.5 patents per €1 billion of GDP. Tools 

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will be developed to monitor benchmarks and 
boost  uptake  of  eco-innovation  in  the  Euro-
pean Union as part of a wider EU innovation 
policy. These will include patent-based indi-
cators, statistical tools and annual surveys.

veri(cid:2) cation  of  the  environmental  perfor-
mance  of  new  technologies.  This  would  be 
voluntary  and  partially  self-(cid:2) nanced,  using 
existing institutions and expertise in Member 
States. 

The European Commission is carrying out a 
study to discover the main barriers to the ex-
pansion  of  the  eco-industries.  This  will  look 
at administrative burdens and obstacles to (cid:2) -
nancing innovation. The objective is to foster 
growth in eco-industries through the creation 
of  a  business-friendly  regulatory  environ-
ment and by exploring the potential for other 
sectors, such as information and communica-
tion technology (ICT).

The  scheme  is  targeted  at  small  and  me-
dium-sized  companies  lacking  the  resources 
or  capacity  to  demonstrate  the  performance 
of new environmental technologies to attract 
(cid:2) rst-time investors and customers.

Under  the  scheme,  veri(cid:2) cation  would  be 
based  on  claims  by  technology  developers, 
and results – in the form of a veri(cid:2) cation sta-
tement – would be publicly available. 

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/etap/
index_en.html

Harnessing industry’s 
full green potential

Validating the environmental 
performance of new 
technologies

The  potential  of  eco-innovation  to  help  solve 
environmental  problems  still  remains  largely 
untapped. One of the main reasons for this is 
the lack of reliable information on performance. 

One  way 
that  organisations 
can  improve  their  ef(cid:2) ciency  is 
through  environmental  manage-
ment  systems  such  as  the  EU’s 
Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS). 
This is a voluntary system that helps optimise 
production and working processes and make 
more effective use of resources. 

The  Commission  is  proposing  the  creation 
of  an  EU-wide  environmental  technology 
veri(cid:2) cation  scheme  to  provide  third-party 

The  scheme  offers  big  bene(cid:2) ts  to  those  who 
commit  to  protecting  the  environment  and 
are constantly improving the way they work. 

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Organisations  can  cut  costs  by  reducing 
consumption of resources, such as energy and 
water,  and  minimising  the  use  and  waste  of 
materials. Those who have joined the scheme 
have seen signi(cid:2) cant cuts in greenhouse gas 
emissions  through  changes  to  their  produc-
tion systems and working processes.

The  Commission  has  revised  the  scheme  to 
make it more attractive for organisations, es-
pecially small and medium-sized businesses, 
by reducing costs and administration.

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

Helping small and medium-
sized business

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) 
are  the  backbone  of  Europe’s  economy, 
 making  up  99%  of  all  businesses  and  em-
ploying more than 100 million people. Howe-
ver, many SMEs (cid:2) nd it dif(cid:2) cult to fully exploit 
the  business  opportunities  offered  by  sound 
environmental  management.  The  reasons 
for  this  include  a  lack  of  information,  insuf-
(cid:2) cient expertise and the scarcity of (cid:2) nancial 
and  human  resources.  The  European  Com-
mission recognises the pressures facing small 

businesses and is taking action to help them. 
It offers support to SMEs through a number 
of  initiatives,  including  the  Environmental 
Compliance  Assistance  Programme  (ECAP). 
This  aims  to  improve  the  environmental 
 performance of SMEs by helping them adopt 
environmental  management 
easy-to-use 
schemes,  increasing  locally  available  envi-
ronmental  expertise  and  providing  targeted 
funding  and  information.  SME  support  or-
ganisations, including the Commission’s En-
terprise Europe Network, are key partners in 
implementing  the  programme  and  are  acti-
vely encouraging SMEs to adopt environmen-
tally  friendly  and  energy  ef(cid:2) cient  solutions. 
Actions  to  achieve  this  include  developing 
content  for  training  programmes  and  pro-
viding  tailor-made  know-how  about  energy 
saving  and  environmental  compliance.  This 
will  complement  the  support  provided  to 
SMEs through the EU’s Competitiveness and 
Innovation  Programme  which  supports  eco-
innovation  activities,  provides  better  access 
to  (cid:2) nancing  and  encourages  the  competiti-
veness of European businesses.

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/sme/ 

http://www.enterprise-europe-network.
ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm

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Supporting
Supporting
Supporting
global action

Supporting global action

Promoting global good practice

The  number  of  consumer  goods  and  indus-
trial  supplies  imported  into  Europe  has  in-
creased  signi(cid:2) cantly  in  recent  years.  This 
means the negative environmental effects of 
our consumption occur not just at home, but 
also  in  countries  all  over  the  world  that  are 
producing the goods we use. Often, the pro-
ducing areas are developing countries which 
are  the  least  able  to  deal  with  the  mounting 
pressures on the environment.

Many  of  these  producer  countries  are 
growing  both  economically  and  in  popula-
tion.  As  they  become  more  prosperous,  the 
global demand for resources and energy also 
increases.  Sustainable  consumption  and 
production policies offer a resource-ef(cid:2) cient 
alternative  for  long-term  development.  To 

achieve this, the EU is working closely with 
other  countries  to  promote  a  shift  towards 
low-carbon  and  resource-ef(cid:2) cient  econo-
mies internationally.

This  includes  a  strong  involvement  in  the 
Marrakech Process which is helping countries 
and  regions  globally  to  develop  sustainable 
consumption  and  production  programmes 
and policies. The EU also represents the Eu-
ropean Region on the Advisory Committee to 
the  Marrakech  Process,  which  gives  advice 
on  the  drafting  of  a  10-Year  Framework  of 
Programmes to link these initiatives. The EU 
Action Plan on Sustainable Consumption and 
Production and Sustainable Industrial Policy 
serves  as  an  important  contribution  both  to 
the  Marrakech  Process  and  to  the  10-Year 
Framework of Programmes, as a regional ac-
tion plan. 

4

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Switching on to sustainability

In response to the need for cleaner and more 
energy-ef(cid:2) cient  industry  in  Asia,  the  Euro-
pean Commission has launched the SWITCH-
Asia  Programme.  The  programme  targets 
small and medium-sized businesses and pro-
motes  the  use  of  environmentally  friendly 
technologies and practices, as well as a switch 
in  consumption  patterns  towards  less-da-
maging products and services. It contributes 
to  poverty  alleviation  both  directly,  through 
increased  employment  and  income  (from 
increased  production  and  greater  competi-
tiveness) and indirectly, by improving living 
conditions  (through  the  reduction  of  water, 
waste and air pollution).

The European Commission also supports na-
tional round tables on sustainable consump-
tion and production to exchange experiences 

and best practice. Round tables have already 
been held in China, India and South Africa. 

Further  efforts  aim  to  promote  the  develop-
ment and spread of low-carbon technologies 
and  environmentally  friendly  products  and 
services. The EU continues its efforts for trade 
policy and industry dialogue to work towards 
the elimination of tariffs for such goods and 
services. The adoption of international envi-
ronmental and energy ef(cid:2) ciency standards is 
key  to  developing  markets  for  more  sustai-
nable products, and can provide new oppor-
tunities for eco-innovative companies. 

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/
asia/regional-cooperation/environment/
switch_en.htm

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

Science-based 
policy-making

The International Panel for Sustainable Resource Mana-
gement  is  a  scienti(cid:2) c  body  set  up  by  the  European  Com-
mission and the United Nations Environment Programme 
in 2007 to provide an independent assessment of the envi-
ronmental impacts of resource use over the full  life cycle 
and offer advice on how to reduce them. The panel advises 
governments  and  organisations  and  provides  an  important  knowledge 
base to underpin the delivery of sustainable consumption and production 
policies. Its aim is to increase resource ef(cid:2) ciency globally and  ultimately 
to break the link between economic growth and the deterioration of the 
environment.

24

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10 ways to reduce 
your environmental 
footprint 

Choose products that come with little packaging and buy 
re(cid:2) lls  where  possible  –  you  will  cut  down  on  waste   production 
and energy use.

Save energy. Switch off lights and appliances and unplug char-
gers when you are not using them.

Think  before  you  shop.  Throwing  food  away  is  a  waste  of  energy,  resources  and 
 money. Only buy what you need and check the expiry date.

Check the label. The EU Ecolabel, recognisable by its (cid:3) ower logo, identi(cid:2) es the most 
environmentally friendly products and services ranging from paint to campsites. Before 
you buy electrical or electronic products check the EU energy label, showing how much 
energy they consume.

Take an eco-holiday. A growing number of tour operators are offering more sustai-
nable options, either by reducing the impact of accommodation or travel or by helping 
you play a positive role in improving the environment.

Go  seasonal.  Buy  and  eat  fruit  and  vegetables  when  they  are  in  season,  from  local 
sources. This avoids the energy and resources used to transport goods long distances, or 
for intensive production in greenhouses. 

Eat less meat. Meat production is far more resource intensive and has a much larger 
environmental impact than other food sources, so cutting out some meat from your diet 
can make a difference.

Switch to green electricity. Most countries now have energy companies which can 
supply your home or workplace with electricity from renewable sources. If you want to 
go one step further, you can generate your own power with a wind turbine or solar panels 
or photovoltaic cells in your home. Many local authorities offer  (cid:2) nancial incentives to 
‘micro-generate’.

Use  alternatives  to  the  car.  Help  ease  traf(cid:2) c  congestion  and  reduce  air  pollution 
from road transport by taking public transport, cycling or walking.

Use water carefully. Do not leave the tap running while you are brushing your teeth 
as this wastes valuable drinking water.

European Commission

Smarter and cleaner
Smarter and cleaner
Consuming and producing sustainably
Consuming and producing sustainably

2009 – 25 pp. – 21 cm x 21 cm

ISBN 978-92-79-08112-5

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