Sustainable consumption and production: international processes and the situation in Hungary

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Sustainable consumption and productioninternatio
nal processes and the situation in Hungary

• Dr. Zita GellérMinistry of Environment and Water
  Department of Strategy

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Background

• In consequence of the growth of the economic
  activities
• Over-consumption of natural resources,
• Environmental pollution and degradation, climate
  change
• Growing social disparities due to unbalanced
  distribution on global, regional and local level

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Inter-linkages between some economic,
environmental and social factors
economic
social
environmental
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Background

• In consequence of the growth of the economic
  activities
• Over-consumption of natural resources,
• Environmental pollution and degradation, climate
  change
• Growing social disparities due to unbalanced
  distribution on global, regional and local level
• Call for change at international conferences
• 1992 Rio UN Conference on Environment and
  Development,
• ? Agenda 21
• 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable
  Development,
• Johannesburg Declaration
• Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPoI)

Poverty eradication, changing unsustainable
patterns of production and consumption, and
protecting and managing the natural resource base
of economic and social development are
overarching objectives of, and essential
requirements for, sustainable development .
(Johannesburg Declaration)
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International processes on global level

• UNEP DTIE (Division of Technology, Industry and
  Economics)
• Cleaner production
• Life Cycle Initiative,
• YouthxChange education, awareness raising and
  communication
• Sustainable procurement
• UNEP Wuppertal Institute SCP Centre
• UNIDO (UN Industrial Development Organization)
  primarily active in developing countries and in
  countries with economies in transition
• UN Commission on Sustainable Development (UN CSD)
• Cross-cutting issue to be dealt with in
  connection with every theme (water, energy,
  industrial development, agriculture etc.)
• Main theme of the cycle 2010-11
• Marrakech process (Johannesburg Plan of
  Implementation, Chapter III.)
• Elaboration of a10-year framework of programmes
  (UNEP UN DESA)

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10-year framework of programmes

• (Governments, relevant international
  organizations, the private sector and all major
  groups should) Encourage and promote the
  development of a 10-year framework of programmes
  in support of regional and national initiatives
  to accelerate the shift towards sustainable
  consumption and production to promote social and
  economic development within the carrying capacity
  of ecosystems by addressing and, where
  appropriate, delinking economic growth and
  environmental degradation through improving
  efficiency and sustainability in the use of
  resources and production processes, and and
  reducing resource degradation, pollution and
  waste.
• (Johannesburg Plan of Implementation)

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The Marrakech Process

• Global and regional conferences (progress,
  exchange of experience, co-operation)
• 2003 Marrakech,
• 2005 Costa Rica,
• 2007 Stockholm
• National round-tables
• 2006 China and India
• 2007 Brazil and South-Africa
• Co-operation dialogue with Development Agencies
• Marrakech Task Forces
• Sustainable Lifestyles Sweden
• Sustainable Product Policies UK
• Co-operation with Africa Germany
• Sustainable Procurement Switzerland
• Sustainable Tourism France
• Sustainable Buildings and Construction Finland
• Education for Sustainable Consumption -Italy

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Proposals for the implementation

• Concrete activities, tools, policies, measures
• Applying polluter-pays principle,
• monitoring and assessment mechanisms (e.g.
  life-cycle analysis),
• national indicators for measuring progress,
• awareness-raising programmes, education, public
  and consumer information
• Cleaner production
• appropriate regulatory, financial and legal
  frameworks,
• cleaner production programmes and centres ,
• exchange of best practices,
• training programmes to small and medium-sized
  enterprises
• Enhance corporate environmental and social
  responsibility and accountability
• voluntary initiatives environmental management
  systems, codes of conduct, certification and
  public reporting on environmental and social
  issues
• dialogue between enterprises and the communities
  in which they operate and other stakeholders,
• incorporate sustainable development
  considerations into decision-making processes of
  financial institutions.

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Means of implementation

• Take sustainable development considerations into
  account in decision-making by relevant
  authorities at all levels on
• national and local development planning ,
• investment in infrastructure,
• business development,
• public procurement.
• Use of economic instruments,
• internalization of environmental costs,
• use environmental impact assessment procedures.
• Integrate the issue of production and consumption
  patterns into sustainable development policies,
  programmes and strategies
• The most important elements
• energy,
• transport,
• waste,
• sound management of chemicals and of hazardous
  wastes,
• management of natural resources.

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Responsibility of the EU and EU Action Plan
Initiating and leading role (one of the largest
consumer, global trade global effect of EU
policies)

• Establishing and leading Task Forces (all but one
  led by EU Member States)
• Conferences
• 2004 Ostende, Belgium,
• 2005 Berlin, Germany
• 2007 Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Dissemination EU best practices
• Inventory (http//circa.europa.eu/Public/irc/env/w
  ssd/home),
• web site (http//ec.europa.eu/environment/wssd/scp
  _en.htm)
• Elaboration of the Action Plan on Sustainable
  Consumption and Production
• renewed EU SDS (http//ec.europa.eu/sustainable/do
  cs/renewed_eu_sds_en.pdf),
• EU expert group on SCP,
• Action Plan consultation (http//ec.europa.eu/env
  ironment/eussd/escp_en.htm)

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EU policies
EU policies supporting sustainable consumption
and production

• Thematic strategy on natural resources,
• Thematic strategy on Waste prevention and
  recycling
• Integrated Product Policy (IPP)
• Environmental Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)
• Eco-label Scheme
• Environmental technology Action Plan (ETAP)
• Green Public Procurement (GPP)
• Eco-design of Energy Using Product Directive
  (EuP)
• European Compliance Assistance Programme
  Environment SMEs

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Hungarian developments

• Hungarian Cleaner Production Centre
  (http//hcpc.uni-corvinus.hu),
• Network for SCP (http//www.rec.hu/hftf/),
• Elaboration of the National Framework Programme
• Governmental measures
• Adoption of the National Sustainable Development
  Strategy (SCP is a priority area)
• Economic instruments (energy tax, environmental
  load tax, product tax, deposit-refund system,
  security deposit, effluent tax, fines,
  incentives, subsidies)
• Development of waste management, introduction of
  selective waste collection,
• Education, awareness raising (campaigns,
  publications, web site)
• Eco-label (Environmentally friendly product
  label)
• Greening public procurement,
• Green Office programme, environmentally
  friendly new governmental district
• NGO initiatives
• National Association for Consumer Protection
  (www.ofe.hu, Basket magazine)
• Association of Conscious Consumers (www.tve.hu,
  Conscious Consumer magazine),
• green organizations

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• Thank you for your kind attention!