GOAL 12 – RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION & PRODUCTION

Goal 12 of the 2030 Agenda aims to ensure the well-being of the population through the reliable access to water, energy and food, while reducing the excessive consumption of natural resources.

The United Nations aspires to improve the current model of production and consumption to obtain an efficient management of natural resources by setting in motion, for example, processes for the elimination of food waste, the use of eco-sustainable chemicals and the reduction of waste in general.

Italy is a leader of the green economy for many of the indicators that map the dimensions of the transition to sustainability: third in the EU-28 for atmospheric emissions of CO2, second for both energy and material inputs per unit of product and second for areas allocated to organic farming. This green transition must further continue to achieve the medium-term objectives of reducing greenhouse gas emissions attributable to production activities (over 76%), especially since green investments represent a decisive factor for the success of Italian companies: the increase in value added per employee in highly sustainable companies is greater than 10%.

Nevertheless, the promotion of sustainable behavior and purchases represents a fundamental driving force: families are responsible for 24% of greenhouse gas emissions. The outlook is positive: among Italians there is a strong interest in environmental issues. The increasing attention to sustainability generates awareness of the impact of each small action, driving more sustainable purchasing behaviors. The Nomisma’s Large Consumption Packaging Observatory, in collaboration with Sin Life presented at Marca 2020, highlighted that, in 2019, one in five companies (21.5%) planned to make investments in green technologies and that, 56% of companies have already adopted behaviors to reduce the environmental impact, while 13% have invested in circular economy processes.

It is therefore important to change the production model and consumption habits. Small daily gestures are enough to contribute to an increasingly sustainable lifestyle, for example, by buying quality products from small local businesses. In this sense, we witnessed Italy rediscovering the importance of locally produced foods during the lockdown, likely also fueled by the desire to support the made in Italy brands.

source: https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal12