Responsible Consumption and Production
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
Global material footprint
111 billion tons (est)
UNEP estimate · 2025
Food wasted annually
1.05 billion tons (est)
UNEP estimate · 2025
E-waste properly recycled
21% (est)
Global E-waste Monitor estimate · 2025
Food waste: household share
60% household (est)
UNEP estimate · 2025
Global Progress Score
Based on Sustainable Development Report 2025
Historical Trend (2015–2025)
Regional Comparison (2025)
Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production — Score per Country (2025)
Each country is scored 0–100 based on its progress toward this goal. Drag to rotate. Hover or tap a country to see its score.
Key Targets
SDR 2025 scores SDG 12 at 57.8/100 globally. Global negotiations for a legally binding Plastics Treaty — which would cap plastic production for the first time — stalled at INC-5 in Busan (November 2024), with oil-producing nations blocking binding production limits. Annual food waste is estimated at 1.05 billion tonnes (UNEP Food Waste Index 2024) — 19% of all food produced. The circular economy market is growing at 8%/year but represents only 7.2% of the global economy (Circle Economy Foundation 2025).
7.2%
of the global economy is circular in 2025 — meaning 92.8% of materials are still extracted, used once, and discarded, driving unsustainable resource consumption.
Circle Economy Foundation: Circularity Gap Report 2025
Key Insights
Overshoot
Earth Overshoot Day — the date when humanity has used more than nature can regenerate in a year — fell on August 2 in 2023. If everyone lived like the average American, 5 Earths would be needed. The average European: 2.8. Sustainable consumption is not about sacrifice; it's about redesigning systems.
Food Loss & Waste
1 in 3 calories produced is never eaten. Food loss and waste generates 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions — more than the aviation industry. Yet 733 million people are hungry. Halving food waste by 2030 — the SDG 12.3 target — would free resources equivalent to feeding 1 billion people.
The Plastic Problem
400 million tonnes of plastic are produced annually. Only 9% of all plastic ever made has been recycled; 12% was incinerated; 79% accumulated in landfills or the natural environment. Microplastics are now found in human blood, lungs, placentas, and the deepest ocean trenches.
E-Waste: The Invisible Crisis
The 53.6 million metric tonnes of e-waste generated in 2019 contained $57 billion worth of recoverable materials — gold, silver, copper, palladium. Only 17.4% was formally recycled. Informal recycling causes toxic exposure to lead, mercury, and cadmium, mainly in developing countries.
Core Challenges
Fast Fashion's Footprint
The fashion industry produces 100 billion garments per year and is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions and 20% of global water pollution. 85% of textiles end in landfill. The average consumer buys 60% more clothing than 15 years ago and keeps it half as long.
Corporate Commitments Without Accountability
Of the 230 companies that made sustainability commitments at COP26, fewer than 10% had credible emissions reduction plans as of 2023. Voluntary pledges are consistently insufficient; binding regulations on packaging, product lifespans, and take-back schemes are needed.
Global Subsidy Mismatch
Governments worldwide provide $1.8 trillion/year in subsidies to agriculture, fossil fuels, and water — the three largest contributors to unsustainable consumption. Redirecting even 10% of these subsidies toward sustainable alternatives would transform markets overnight.
2030 Outlook
The circular economy — designing out waste, keeping materials in use, and regenerating natural systems — represents a $4.5 trillion economic opportunity. The EU Circular Economy Action Plan and similar frameworks show what's possible. But without binding global standards on plastics, right-to-repair legislation, and true-cost pricing that internalizes environmental harm, markets will continue rewarding the linear model.