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WORLDWIDE
FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS
Forests,
Consumption and Trade
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Forest Networking a Project of Forests.org
http://forests.org/ -- Forest Conservation
Archives
http://forests.org/web/ -- Discuss Forest
Conservation
09/17/00
OVERVIEW
& COMMENTARY
Following
is a major report by Friends of the Earth International
addressing
unsustainable consumption and related trade of forest
products
as a major underlying cause of deforestation and forest
degradation. Groups like Rainforest Action Network and
others are
making
the connection between over-consumption of forest products as
the
impetus behind predatory logging. The
report is chock full of
supporting
details; such as since 1961, overall wood harvest has
grown
by 50% worldwide. The volume of paper
trade has risen five-
fold in
this period, making up almost 45% of the total value of the
world
forest products trade. More than half
of the industrial timber
and 72%
of the world's paper is consumed by the 22% of the world's
population
which lives in the US, Europe and Japan.
Want to see
forest
destruction? Look in the mirror, it is
you and I.
Suggestions
are made on how to reduce consumption and perverse
subsidies
driving over-consumption.
g.b.
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RELAYED
TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: Forests, Consumption and Trade
Source: Report on a Workshop organized by Friends of
the Earth
International
Status: Copyright 2000, contact source for
permission to reprint
Date: September 15, 2000
Addressing
unsustainable consumption and related trade as a major
underlying
cause of deforestation and forest degradation
Report
on a Workshop organized by Friends of the Earth International
parallel
to the 8th session of the UN Commission on Sustainable
Development
New York, 2 May 2000
1.
Sustainable Forest Production and Consumption
Introduction
by Janet Abramovitz, Worldwatch Institute, USA
Forest
Product Consumption and Equity
The
world's forests are in trouble. Half of the world's forests are
gone,
deforestation continues unabated and the health of the
remaining
forests is declining. Annually, on a global scale, 10 times
more
forest is being lost than what is being gained through regrowth.
Until
now, most attention has been focused on tropical forest loss.
There
is less awareness that northern forests have also been severely
degraded.
When we
lose forests, we lose more than timber, we also lose all the
other
goods and services forests provide, such as livelihoods,
watershed
protection, flood control, etc. The last 2 years we have
seen
some vivid examples of the consequences of extensive forest
loss,
including the "unnatural disasters" of flooding in the Yangtze
riverbasin,
the impact of Hurricane Mitch in Central America, and the
landslides
in Venezuela.
There
are many pressures on forests, but one of the greatest threats
is the
growing production and trade of forest products fueled by
rising consumption,
especially in the wealthier countries. To outline
some of
the basic trends: Since 1961, overall wood harvest has grown
by 50%
worldwide. About half of this is fuelwood, which includes
fuelwood
used by industries. The other half of the wood harvest is
"industrial"
wood, and of this, about half ends up in paper. By 2010,
overall
wood consumption is expected to increase by 20% if current
trends
continue. Paper consumption is expected to increase by a
third.
Forest
products trade has grown even faster than production itself,
it has
tripled since 1970 alone. Paper, pulp and panels (plywood
etc.)
are the fastest growing commodities and make up the lion's
share
of the global forest trade in terms of value. Paper products
alone
make up almost 45% of the total value of world forest products
trade.
The volume of paper trade has risen five-fold since the 1960s.
The top
ten exporters of forest products in terms of value are
Canada,
the US, Finland, Sweden, Germany, France, Indonesia,
Malaysia,
Russia and Brazil. Together, these countries account for
70% of
world exports. The exports from many developing countries have
grown
rapidly, but Canada and the US still dominate exports,
accounting
for one third of the world total.
On the
import side, the top ten is formed by the US, Japan, Germany,
the UK,
Italy, France, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea,
Belgium
and Luxembourg and Hong Kong.
Wood
consumption is far from evenly distributed. More than half of
the industrial
timber and 72% of the world's paper is consumed by the
22% of
the world's population which lives in the US, Europe and
Japan.
While
developing countries consume almost 2 times more fuelwood per
person
than industrialized countries, mainly due to lack of
alternatives,
industrialized countries consume 12 times more
industrial
wood per person than developing countries.
Paper
consumption is even more inequitably distributed. Since 1961
world
paper use has grown almost 6-fold and per capita consumption of
paper
has doubled. Paper consumption is expected to increase by one
third
in the next 10 years. Despite this explosive growth, there are
vast
inequities in paper use. Some 80% of the world population uses
less
than 40 kilo per person per year for basic literacy,
communication
and sanitation purposes. The global average is 51 kilo
per
person per year, but industrialized countries consume around 164
kilo
per person per year while developing countries consume only 18
kilo
per person per year. To compare a few countries:
Country
world population share world consumption share consumption
rate
USA
less than 5% 30% 335 kg/pp/py
Japan
2% 115 232 kg/pp/py
China
more than 20% 11% 29 kg/pp/py
Europe
13% more than 25% 200 kg/pp/py*
India 16%
1% 4 kg/pp/py
*
Figures for Germany
Turning
the Trends
There
is an overall expectation that these trends will continue. But
trends
and forecasts are no destiny, we can turn the situation
around.
We can
increase efficiency at every level of production and
consumption,
in the forests, in the mills, at the retailers, at the
construction
site, and with individual consumers. To give an example:
Brazil
could produce the same amount of timber while exploiting only
a third
of the forests it is currently exploiting if it wasted less
of the
wood that was cut during logging and milling operations. FAO
has
estimated that if developing countries increased their industrial
efficiency
to the current level of industrialized countries the
projected
growth in demand could be satisfied without increasing the
harvest.
And even in the US, 25% of the wood that is cut never enters
the
commercial flow.
As far
as paper is concerned, there are many ways to use paper more
efficiently
by downsizing packaging, double-sided copying, increased
recycling,
etc. Half of the world's paper is turned into packaging,
in many
cases this consumption can be reduced or even eliminated. A
huge,
largely untapped fiber supply for making paper is the majority
of old
paper that is still not recycled: each year the US sends more
paper
to landfills than China consumes. The demand for wood for paper
could
be cut in half if fiber supply shifted to use more recovered
paper
and non-wood fiber.
As far as
construction is concerned, it should be noted that in the
US and
other wealthy countries, the size and number of homes has
skyrocketed
since 1950, while the number of occupants has declined.
By
using more efficient building methods we could reduce wood use by
20%,
cut costs, and lessen the footprint of our homes on the land,
without
sacrificing quality of life.
However...in
all areas of forest products, gains in efficiency will
be
cancelled out unless we couple it with reduced demand in high
consuming
countries.
Reducing
the Demand side of Deforestation
The
high consumption levels in wealthy countries are not only a
concern
because of their direct footprint upon the world's
ecosystems,
but also because other countries adopt these lifestyles
and
technologies. If wood use in developing countries accelerates to
the
point where everyone in the world consumes as much as the average
person
in North America, Europe or Japan, the world will consume
twice
as much wood as it consumes today. If everyone in the world
used as
much paper as the average North American the world would use
more
than 7 times as much paper.
If, on
the other hand, the per capita consumption of paper in
industrial
countries was trimmed by one third, which is largely
possible
through simple "good housekeeping", global consumption would
fall,
and developing country consumption could rise to meet basic
needs.
Luckily,
some consumers and retailers are beginning to become part of
the solution.
They want their buying habits to be part of the
solution
to deforestation rather than contributing to further
deforestation.
They,
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE and when they buy products they choose
RECLAIMED,
RECYCLED AND CERTIFIED materials. There is thus a growing
market
for recycled and chlorine free paper and certified forest
products.
In fact, the current demand exceeds the supply. So far,
most of
this demand comes from Europe and the US.
The new
generation of information technologies (Internet, Intranet,
and
business to business data interchange) can save paper and money.
Documents
like phone directories, manuals, company reports can be put
online
or on CD saving millions of dollars and tons of paper. The
Bank of
America succeeded to cut paper use with 25% through such
measures.
Just
one company, Procter and Gamble, succeeded to cut the amount of
paper
needed for packaging per kilo produce by 24% in just 4 years.
Since
about half of all paper goes to packaging, such reductions are
important.
It also saves on the costs of shipping and handling the
products.
Publishers
have proven it is possible to use lighter weight papers,
reducing
the size by a fraction and to use computer assisted lay out
to maximize
printing efficiency. There are also easy ways to audit
and
reduce paper use by 20% or more through good housekeeping,
copying,
and eliminating needless copies. We can thus reduce waste
and
excessive consumption without sacrificing the quality of life.
Shifting
to sustainable production and consumption patterns also
requires
the elimination of subsidies and giveaway concessions that
hurt
forests and economies. A clear example of such perverse
subsidies
can be found in Canada. Canada is the world's largest
timber
exporter and liquidation of primary forests is official
government
policy. The government awards timber leases to a handful
of
companies at highly subsidized prices and with very lax
regulations,
with the predictable outcome that some of the world's
best
forests are being logged and exported at unsustainable rates.
Another
requirement is the establishment or restoration of the rule
of law
governing forests, and the elimination of corruption.
Moreover,
there is a need to strengthen the monitoring of forest
conditions
and threats at both a national and a global scale.
There
are many pressures on forests, but the production and
consumption
of forest products is a major driving force of forest
loss
and one that is most amenable to change. One where individuals,
business
and governments have a direct role and where we can see
results
quickly. It can be concluded that the next few years are
critical
to forging a new and sustainable relationship with the
world's
forests.
2. Forests
in between Cattle, the CSD and the WTO
Introduction
by Simone Lovera, Sobrevivencia/ Friends of the Earth-
Paraguay
Changing
consumption of non-forest products, which impact upon
forests.
Changing
unsustainable consumption patterns of forest products is
critical,
but the role of non-forest products in forest loss should
not be
underestimated either: 70 to 80% of global deforestation is
caused
by conversion of forests into agricultural land. Agricultural
products
responsible for this conversion include meat, soy, palmoil,
pulp
(of tree plantations), bananas, coca, cacao, etc. They thus vary
from
food crops which fulfill basic nutrition needs, to products
which
are mainly produced for excessive demand of wealthy northern
consumers,
and clearly unsustainable products like coca and tobacco.
For
most agricultural products, however, it is hard to establish
sound
criteria as far as their sustainability is concerned. The
production
method can form one basis for determining sustainability,
using
regular criteria for sustainable agriculture like ecological
sustainability
(water use, pesticide use, etc.) and social
sustainability
(employment, income and sustainable livelihood of
farmers).
On top of that, there are specific criteria related to
forest
conversion, the most important of which is the efficiency of
land
use in terms of providing employment. The labor-intensity of
land
use is a dominating factor in deforestation as labor is a
limiting
factor in most farming families, particularly in developing
countries.
Thus,
farmers and the rural population in general will continue to
convert
forestland into agricultural land until their need for
productive
employment has been fulfilled. Agricultural products like
meat,
soy, palm oil and pulp, and large-scale agriculture in general,
score
low if this criterion is used as they occupy vast areas of land
but
provide little employment per hectare of land. In Brazil, for
example,
where the expansion of the agricultural frontier has been
and
continues to be by far the main cause of deforestation, soy
production
provides more than 12 times less jobs per hectare than
small-scale
traditional agriculture. Cattle ranching scores even
worse
in terms of labor intensity and eucalyptus pulp plantations
provide
up to 800 times less jobs per hectare than traditional small-
scale
agriculture.
The
production of these crops thus contributes to rural unemployment
and migration
of farmers to the forest frontier.
Taking
the example of meat and soy (of which the great majority is
produced
as fodder for livestock in Europe and other northern
countries),
several strategies to change unsustainable consumption
and
production patterns could be undertaken. Eco-efficiency
strategies
could include the sustainable intensification of land use
through
soil conservation and integrated systems. On the consumption
side,
eating soy instead of meat could classify as an eco-efficiency
strategy
as, on average, 5 kilo of soy is needed to produce 1 kilo of
meat.
Full or partial vegetarianism also classifies as an eco-
sufficiency
strategy, that is, a strategy to reduce unsustainable
consumption
through changing lifestyles.
Governments
can play an important role in implementing these
strategies
through providing sound information about the impacts of
meat
production upon forests and reducing perverse subsidies to the
meat
industry. They can also play a positive role in providing
subsidies
and other incentives to promote the production of
alternative
agricultural crops, which play a more beneficial role in
combating
rural unemployment and malnutrition. However, as long as
unsustainable
production seems to be the role rather than the
exception
in the world economy, trade barriers will remain necessary
to give
more sustainable forms of production, and the forests and
forest
peoples which depend on them, a chance.
The
Vicious Circle of Consumption, Trade and Production
Consumption
and production form part of a circle. Once a certain
supply
is created, companies will use marketing tools like
advertisement,
certification or labeling to ensure that their
products
are sold to consumers. Such marketing increases consumption
and
consumption creates demand. Demand on its turn triggers private
or
public investments in certain levels of production, thus leading
to a
vicious circle of ever increasing consumption and production.
Information
Marketing/
Publicity
Certification/
Labeling
Production
Consumption
Investments
private
public
(subsidies and other incentives)
Consumption
and trade are inseparable. Trade is nothing more and
nothing
less than the bridge, which links sustainable production with
sustainable
consumption, or unsustainable production with
unsustainable
consumption. If production is socially and
environmentally
sustainable, it should be ensured that there is
market
access to allow these products to reach sustainable consumers.
If
production is unsustainable, however, trade barriers might form
one of
the tools to avoid such products to reach unsustainable
consumers.
Public
investments like subsidies and certification and labeling
schemes
can also be used to stimulate sustainable consumption and
production
or decrease unsustainable consumption and production.
However,
too often such tools and mechanisms to change unsustainable
consumption
and production patterns have been qualified as trade
barriers
by the World Trade Organization and other trade
organizations,
like the European Union.
Information
Marketing/
Publicity
Certification/
Labeling
Non-Tariff
Barriers
Sustainable
Access
Sustainable
Production
Trade
Consumption
Unsustainable
Tariff Barriers
Unsustainable
Investments
private
public
(subsidies and other incentives) Non Tariff-Barriers
The
policies and mechanisms marked in red are the ones that are
currently
under attack by the World Trade Organization as barriers to
trade.
Typically, they are the policies and mechanisms that have a
potentially
important role to play in either reducing unsustainable
consumption
and production patterns, such as trade barriers, or
promoting
sustainable consumption and production, such as
certification
and labeling.
The
Work of the CSD and the UNGA on Changing Consumption Patterns
Changing
consumption patterns" is the subject of Chapter 4 of Agenda
21. At
its third session, in 1995, the Commission on Sustainable
Development
(CSD) adopted an International Work Programme on Changing
Consumption
and Production Patterns, which includes five elements: 1.
Trends
in Consumption and Production Patterns 2. Impacts on
Developing
Countries of Changes in Consumption Patterns in Developed
Countries
3. Policy Measures to Change Consumption and Production
Patterns
4. Voluntary Commitments from Countries/Indicators for
Measuring
Changes in Consumption and Production Patterns 5. Revision
of the
UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection
Since
1992, many discussions on chapter 4 have taken place at the
national
and international levels, both within and outside the
framework
of the CSD. These debates have covered definitions and
concepts
(e.g. eco-space, ecological footprints), policy strategies
(e.g.
eco-efficiency, Factor 4 and 10), and appropriate policy
instruments.
Participants in the discussions have come from business
and
industry, governments at all levels, international organisations,
the
academic community and NGOs. "Changing consumption and production
patterns"
has been the subject of discussion by the CSD itself at its
first,
second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh session. In
the
context of the multi-year programme of work adopted by the
General
Assembly for the Commission on Sustainable Development in
1997,
it will continue to appear, as an "overriding issue" in future
sessions
of the CSD.
All
these meetings of the CSD and the UN General Assembly Special
Session
of 1997 have generated a wealth of intergovernmental policy
recommendations
in the field of changing consumption and production
patterns.
Recommendations, which are regretfully all too often
neglected
in the international policy debate on consumption patterns
in
specific sectors such as the forestry sector. To mention a few of
the most
interesting recommendations from a forest perspective:
"Governments,
in cooperation with relevant international
organizations
and in partnership with major groups, should: ....
Further
develop and implement policies for promoting sustainable
consumption
and production patterns, including affordable, more eco-
efficient
consumption and production, through disincentives for
unsustainable
practices and incentives for more sustainable
practices.
A
policy mix for this purpose could include regulations, economic and
social
instruments, procurement policies and voluntary agreements and
initiatives
to be applied in the light of country-specific
conditions....
....
Governments should consider shifting the burden of taxation onto
unsustainable
patterns of production and consumption; it is of vital
importance
to achieve such an internalization of environmental costs.
Such
tax reforms should include a socially responsible process of
reduction
and elimination of subsidies to environmentally harmful
activities;...
....
Work to increase understanding of the role of advertising and
mass
media and marketing forces in shaping consumption and production
patterns;...
....
Develop and implement public awareness programs with a focus on
consumer
education and access to information;...
....
Improve the quality of information regarding the environmental
impact
of products and services, and to that end encourage the
voluntary
and transparent use of eco-labeling;...
....Study
the benefits of traditional values and local cultures in
promoting
sustainable consumption....
....Cooperate
in developing waste collection systems and disposal
facilities,
and developing programs for prevention, minimization and
recycling
of waste" (Program for the Further Implementation of Agenda
21,
UNGASS, 1997). See also annex 1.
These
resolutions form a firm multilateral consensus supporting the
many
policies and measures suggested in the first presentation.
The WTO
has often stated that it feels that its policies should be
compatible
with sustainable development policies, and most decision-
makers
are of the opinion that WTO rules and policies should not
interfere
with multilateral environmental agreements. Whether these
multilateral
environmental agreements have to be legally binding has
never
been clarified. But the emphasis within WTO discussions has
always
been on the multilateral aspect, that is, that environmental
policies
are the result of a clear consensus between more than two
states.
Resolutions
by the UN General Assembly are clearly multilateral
agreements.
In fact, it should be emphasized that the UN General
Assembly
has more than twice the membership of the World Trade
Organization.
It would severely undermine the work of the UNGA, its
Economic
and Social Council and its subsidiary bodies like the
Commission
on Sustainable Development if their recommendations and
resolutions
did not have any status at all vis-a-vis the rulings of
the
WTO. It should thus be ensured that the policies and measures of
governments
to implement these resolutions, which already face the
challenge
of going against major vested interests, are not being
frustrated
by the rulings of the WTO.
3.
Forests, Trade and Consumption from an Indigenous Peoples`
perspective
Introduction
by Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Tebtebba, the Philippines
Indigenous
Peoples are amongst the major groups in society that are
most
severely affected by overconsumption and trade liberalization.
Globalization,
increasing consumption and the paradigm of
competitiveness,
which forms the basis of trade liberalization, are
increasingly
marginalizing Indigenous Peoples and threatening their
livelihoods.
In the
Philippines, a number of Indigenous Peoples had succeeded to
reclaim
their old territory, but even though they had put the land
under
production they saw themselves expelled again by a logging
company.
Such trends are triggered by the staggering demand for wood
products
described before.
Tree plantations
form an even larger problem. Increasingly lands are
being
taken away from Indigenous Peoples for tree plantation
development.
The government formally opposes such trends. Indigenous
Peoples
have a lot of sustainable agroforestry practices, and since
recently,
the government recognizes this and promotes such
sustainable
practices. But they can do little if all market forces
and the
very paradigm upon which their economic model is based work
against
Indigenous Peoples.
Moreover,
without debt relief, nothing is going to change. Bilateral
and
multilateral donors like the World Bank only give money to the
government
if it these loans can be repaid. So the activities that
are
funded have to be profitable. This is why the Government and
bilateral
and multilateral donors heavily subsidize tree plantations.
Fast-growing,
monoculture tree plantations make a lot of money in the
short
term, and this money is needed to pay back the debts. The
entire
economic model is based upon a paradigm of competitiveness and
profits.
The
main burden of changing consumption patterns is really on the
North.
In a country like the Philippines, the consumption of wood and
paper
is still below the level of basic needs. As paper is scarce and
people
do not have the money to waste, they will make sure they use
it in
an efficient manner. However, there still is a need to exchange
more
information and experiences on how to reduce, reuse and recycle
paper
and other wood products. Alliances with other groups to
campaign
against the paradigm of trade liberalization and consumerism
are
very important for Indigenous Peoples. After all, changing
consumption
and production patterns is one of the most important
paths
to a more sustainable paradigm.
4.
Discussion: Certification, Corruption, Carbon, and Conclusions
Some
people doubted whether certification by the Forest Stewardship
Council
was really a step into the right direction. It was responded
that
the political impact of the work of the Forest Stewardship
Council
had been important, as it had shown timber producers that
there
is a large and expanding market for sustainably produced
timber.
Certification
can be an important tool in scrutinizing and penalizing
companies.
It also forms an important tool to reward producers who
are
doing the right thing. It provides them with an important
incentive
and it is an important educational tool.
However,
it should be emphasized that the most sustainable
consumption
is no consumption. Especially in construction and
furniture,
there is a lot of scope to reduce consumption, for example
by not
throwing away new pieces of furniture after a few years
because
a new trend prescribes a new model. There are also severe
problems
with some of the FSC criteria, in particular the criterion,
which
allows timber from tree plantations to be certified. This
criterion
denies the fact that sustainable forest management
criteria,
including those on the protection of biodiversity, should
be applied
upon each management level. There also is a clear risk of
cheating,
especially in countries where there is a lack of
independent
monitoring capacity.
Other
participants emphasized the relationship between government
corruption
and unsustainable forest product consumption. In 1990,
citizens'
groups in New York actively campaigned for recyclable and
reusable
packaging. It first seemed as if the proposal would be
accepted.
However, the paperboard industry, the incinerator companies
and
newspapers like the New York Times strongly opposed it and in the
end the
New York Assembly only listened to these companies and not to
the
numerous citizens' groups.
People
wondered whether the Kyoto Protocol of the Framework
Convention
on Climate Change (FCCC) would provide additional
incentives
for forest management. However, if the FCCC parties would
establish
a system in which countries get a credit for planting trees
but not
a debit for deforestation, the Kyoto Protocol would lead to a
rapid
replacement of existing forests by fast-growing tree
plantations.
In Costa Rica, for example, the credit farmers receive
for
tree plantations is much higher than the credit they receive for
forest
conservation. Even though these tree plantations may not
directly
replace old forests, this system has lead to rapid
deforestation,
as farmers simply move their agricultural fields to
forest
area and develop tree plantations on the old agricultural
field.
In
general, it was stated that a new ethics for consumers was needed.
The
global campaign of young people to quite consumerism, which UNEP
is
implementing in cooperation with youth groups is trying to create
such a
new ethics amongst young consumers through the dissemination
of questionnaires
on sustainable consumption and other activities.
The
concepts of ecological footprint, the basket of needs and
upshifting
and downshifting also play a useful role in changing
consumption
patterns. The latter concept implies that the 20% most
wealthy
people in global population should reduce their consumption,
the 40%
middle class should choose more sustainable alternatives,
while
the 40% poorest people needs to increase their consumption in
order
to reach a sustainable consumption level. The social aspects of
consumption
reduction are very important. One needs analyze carefully
whom
certain policies and measures are targeting.
It is
possible to envision and achieve a forest product economy that
provides
all the things people need from forests - goods, livelihoods
and
services - and ensure that healthy forest ecosystems survive into
the
next millenium. Those of us in wealthy industrial countries with
high
consumption patterns have a special obligation and role to play
in
turning around the unsustainable trends. We can make the changes
necessary
while ensuring our quality of life - and that of future
generations.
Annex
1, Recommendations by the UN General Assembly on Changing
Consumption
and Production Patterns: Programme for the Further
Implementation
of Agenda 21, UN General Assembly Special Session 1997
States
have common but differentiated responsibilities: The principal
goals
of changing consumption and production patterns should be
pursued
by all countries, with the developed countries taking the
lead.
Developing
countries' priorities are to eradicate poverty, with
international
support for achieving poverty reduction targets as
agreed
in United Nations conferences and summits, and improve
standards
of living, including meeting basic needs and lessening the
burden
of external debt, while taking all possible steps to avoid
environmental
damage and social inequity, for the furtherance of
sustainable
development. Countries with economies in transition face
the
challenge of integrating policies to make consumption and
production
patterns more sustainable into the reform process.
Special
attention should be paid to unsustainable consumption
patterns
among the richer segments in all countries, in particular in
developed
countries.
Recognizes
that the implementation of sustainable consumption and
production
approaches suited to country-specific conditions can lead
to
reduced costs and improved competitiveness as well as reduced
environmental
impacts.
In
addition, the implementation of the international work program
will
incorporate the following four priority areas: (a) effective
policy
development and implementation; (b) natural resource
management
and cleaner production; (c) globalization and its impacts
on
consumption and production patterns; and (d) urbanization and its
impacts
on consumption and production patterns.
On A)
7.
Governments, in cooperation with relevant international
organizations
and in partnership with major groups, should: (a)
Further
develop and implement policies for promoting sustainable
consumption
and production patterns, including affordable, more eco-
efficient
consumption and production, through disincentives for
unsustainable
practices and incentives for more sustainable
practices.
A
policy mix for this purpose could include regulations, economic and
social
instruments, procurement policies and voluntary agreements and
initiatives
to be applied in the light of country-specific
conditions;
Governments should consider shifting the burden of
taxation
onto unsustainable patterns of production and consumption;
it is
of vital importance to achieve such an internalization of
environmental
costs.
Such
tax reforms should include a socially responsible process of
reduction
and elimination of subsidies to environmentally harmful
activities;
(c)Work
to increase understanding of the role of advertising and mass
media
and marketing forces in shaping consumption and production
patterns
(d)
Develop and implement public awareness programs with a focus on
consumer
education and access to information (e) Improve the quality
of
information regarding the environmental impact of products and
services,
and to that end encourage the voluntary and transparent use
of
eco-labeling; g) Ensure that implementation of measures for the
above
do not result in disguised barriers to trade;
On B)
(a)
Develop and apply policies to promote public and private
investments
in cleaner production and the sustainable use of natural
resources,
including the transfer of environmentally sound
technologies
to developing countries
(d)
Further develop and implement, as appropriate, cleaner production
and
eco-efficiency policy approaches, through, inter alia,
environmental
management systems, integrated product policies, life-
cycle
management, labeling schemes and performance reporting, and in
this
context, taking fully into account the national circumstances
and
needs of the developing countries as well as the relevant ongoing
deliberations
of the Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade and the
Committee
on Trade and Environment of the World Trade Organization.
On C)
(c)
Increase their efforts to make policies on trade and policies on
environment,
including those on sustainable consumption and
production,
mutually supportive, without creating disguised barriers
to
trade;
(d)
Study the benefits of traditional values and local cultures in
promoting
sustainable consumption.
On D)
15.
Governments at all levels, the private sector and other major
groups
as defined in Agenda 21 are urged to cooperate in developing
waste
collection systems and disposal facilities, and developing
programs
for prevention, minimization and recycling of waste The
United
Nations guidelines for Consumer Protection, as expanded in
1999
(c)
Access of consumers to adequate information to enable them to
make
informed choices according to individual wishes and needs; (d)
Consumer
education, including education on the environmental, social
and
economic impacts of consumer choice;
4.Unsustainable
patterns of production and consumption, particularly
in
industrialized countries, are the major cause of the continued
deterioration
of the global environment. All countries should strive
to
promote sustainable consumption patterns; developed countries
should
take the lead in achieving sustainable consumption patterns;
developing
countries should seek to achieve sustainable consumption
patterns
in their development process, having due regard to the
principle
of common but differentiated responsibilities. The special
situation
and needs of developing countries in this regard should be
fully
taken into account.
5.
Policies for promoting sustainable consumption should take into
account
the goals of eradicating poverty, satisfying the basic human
needs
of all members of society, and reducing inequality within and
between
countries.
10.In
applying any procedures or regulations for consumer protection,
due
regard should be given to ensuring that they do not become
barriers
to international trade and that they are consistent with
international
trade obligations.
24.Consumer
access to accurate information about the environmental
impact
of products and services should be encouraged through such
means
as product profiles, environmental reports by industry,
information
centers for consumers, voluntary and transparent eco-
labeling
programmes and product information hotlines.
25.Governments,
in close collaboration with manufacturers,
distributors
and consumer organizations, should take measures
regarding
misleading environmental claims or information in
advertising
and other marketing activities. The development of
appropriate
advertising codes and standards for the regulation and
verification
of environmental claims should be encouraged.
35.Governments
should develop or encourage the development of general
consumer
education and information programs, including information on
the
environmental impacts of consumer choices and behavior and the
possible
implications.
44.Governments,
in partnership with business and relevant
organizations
of civil society, should develop and implement
strategies
that promote sustainable consumption through a mix of
policies
that could include regulations; economic and social
instruments;
sectoral policies in such areas as land use, transport,
energy
and housing; information programs to raise awareness of the
impact
of consumption patterns; removal of subsidies that promote
unsustainable
patterns of consumption and production; and promotion
of
sector-specific environmental-management best practices.
45.Governments
should encourage the design, development and use of
products
and services that are safe and energy and resource
efficient,
considering their full life-cycle impacts. Governments
should
encourage recycling programs that encourage consumers to both
recycle
wastes and purchase recycled products.
49.Governments
should promote awareness of the health-related
benefits
of sustainable consumption and production patterns, bearing
in mind
both direct effects on individual health and collective
effects
through environmental protection.
52.Governments
should consider a range of economic instruments, such
as
fiscal instruments and internalization of environmental costs, to
promote
sustainable consumption, taking into account social needs,
the
need for disincentives for unsustainable practices and incentives
for more
sustainable practices, while avoiding potential negative
effects
for market access, in particular for developing countries.
54.Governments
and international agencies should take the lead in
introducing
sustainable practices in their own operations, in
particular
through their procurement policies. Government
procurement,
as appropriate, should encourage development and use of
environmentally
sound products and services.
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