Consumption and Production patterns - Decisions 

Commission on Sustainable Development, 3rd Session
New York, 11-28 April 1995

Report of the Commission on Sustainable Development on the Third Session (11-28 April 1995) 

4. Changing production and consumption patterns 

31. The Commission affirms that while poverty results in certain kinds of environmental stress, the major cause of the continued deterioration of the global environment is the unsustainable pattern of consumption and production, particularly in industrialized countries, which is a matter of grave concern, aggravating poverty and imbalances. The Commission thus reaffirms the need to change the patterns of consumption and production that are detrimental to sustainable development. In the context of common but differentiated responsibilities in this field, the developed countries bear a special responsibility and have agreed to take the lead by taking effective measures for change in their own countries. In that context, the Commission reiterates that national authorities should endeavour to promote the internalization of environmental costs and the use of economic instruments, as appropriate, taking into account the polluter-pays principle. 

32. The Commission, taking into account Agenda 21, in particular chapter 4, entitled "Changing consumption patterns", welcomes the recent increase in activities and efforts at the local, national, and international levels aimed at changing the prevailing unsustainable production and consumption patterns. The Commission recognizes that Governments should continue to improve their decision-making so as to integrate environmental, economic and social considerations, which will involve the use of a range of different policy approaches and instruments. The Commission notes the initiative taken by the Government of Norway in hosting the Oslo Ministerial Roundtable Conference on Sustainable Production and Consumption (6-10 February 1995) and its contribution to underlining the importance of focusing on demand-side issues as a complement to the traditional supply-side approach. The Commission also notes the inputs provided to the Oslo Conference by various sources, including the Zeist Workshop on Facilities for a Sustainable Household (23-25 January 1995), organized by the Government of the Netherlands, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Experts Seminar on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns (Cambridge, Massachusetts, 18-20 December 1994). 

33. In welcoming the inter-sessional work undertaken by Governments, the Commission reaffirms the need for additional substantial efforts and real progress by States, in particular the developed countries, in changing their unsustainable production and consumption patterns, and in assisting in redressing the present imbalances obtaining between industrialized and developing nations. It welcomes further contributions from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), UNEP and other international organizations, such as OECD, in this area. 

34. The Commission notes with concern the significant gaps in per capita income between developing and developed countries and the continuing current imbalances in the global patterns of consumption and production. The Commission notes also with concern that the growing recognition of the need to address patterns of production and consumption has not yet been matched by a full understanding of the implications of such patterns on economic, social and environmental conditions at the local, national and global levels. In order to most effectively design and implement public policies consistent with the earth's carrying capacity, more needs to be known about the role of current and projected consumption and production patterns in relation to environmental quality, economic growth and population dynamics. Thus, sustainability, including equity concerns, should continue to be addressed by Governments, the Commission, and other forums in their deliberations on how changing production and consumption patterns will affect environmental, social and economic conditions in and among countries at all levels of development. 

35. The Commission urges Governments at all levels, business and industry, and consumers to intensify efforts at reducing the energy and material intensities of production and consumption, through improving energy efficiency, taking energy-saving measures, technological innovations and transfer, increased waste recovery, and reusing and recycling of materials. The Commission stresses that all countries have, and should exploit, opportunities for further improving efficiency in resource consumption and for reducing environmentally harmful by-products of current consumption and production patterns in accordance with national priorities and international agreements, for example, by promoting the use of renewable energy sources. In this context, taking into account the particular needs and conditions of developing countries, and based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, the Commission urges developed countries to intensify effort to encourage the transfer of appropriate technologies to developing countries to assist them in such efforts. 

36. The Commission notes that the above-mentioned Oslo Conference, which focused on consumption and production patterns in the developed countries, highlighted the demand-side and supply-side issues as deserving of equal emphasis and referred to the life-cycle approach to assessing the environmental, social and economic impacts associated with unsustainable production and consumption patterns. To this end, the Commission emphasizes the responsibility shared by all stakeholders in society. Governments should provide an overall framework, including the regulations, economic incentives and infrastructure required to create the necessary conditions and facilities for business, industry and households to move towards sustainable production and consumption patterns. Business and industry in developed countries should fulfil their responsibility for managing the life-cycle impact of the goods and services that they supply, and are encouraged to provide information on the environmental and health effects arising from the production and consumption of their products. Households, particularly in developed countries, should adopt sustainable consumption habits and lifestyles. In this regard, public awareness campaigns, education and community-based voluntary action could contribute to fostering changes in lifestyles. 

37. The Commission reaffirms that Governments themselves also play a role in consumption, particularly in countries where the public sector plays a large role in the economy and can have a considerable influence on both corporate decisions and public perceptions. Governments should therefore review the purchasing policies of their agencies and departments so that they may improve, where possible, the environmental content of government procurement policies, without prejudice to international trade principles. Governments and intergovernmental organizations, through appropriate mechanisms, may exchange information and experiences consistent with national laws and regulations in the area of their procurement policies. 

38. The Commission takes note of the lack of information identified in the report of the Secretary-General on changing consumption and production patterns (E/CN.17/1995/13) and other documents, and calls on Governments, international organizations, legislative bodies, research and scientific institutions, business and industry, and consumer organizations and other non-governmental organizations to join in concerted efforts to provide comprehensive information on the status of, and changes and projected trends in, the environment, ecosystems and the natural resources base at the national, regional and global levels. At the product level, while the Commission recognizes the need to reaffirm the importance of informing consumers about any environmental and health effects arising from the production and consumption of a given product, it notes that such information should not be used as a disguise for protectionist trade measures. 

39. Given the long time-frame in which the interactions of economic activities and the environment take place, the Commission reiterates the need for launching medium- and long-term studies to monitor and track the evolution of production and consumption patterns as well as associated environmental, social and economic impacts, both within and among nations. Such studies should cover technological innovation and transfer, economic growth and development, and demographic factors. They should produce quantifiable and measurable indicators so as to facilitate policy analysis and debate on relevant issues and trends. In undertaking these studies, attention should be paid to the various effects, including the potential trade effects and in particular the effects on developing countries and countries with economies in transition, of new measures and policy stances to be adopted in promoting sustainable production and consumption. 

40. The Commission calls for the promotion of internalization of environmental costs, taking into account the polluter-pays principle, with due regard to the public interest and without distorting international trade and investment. In this regard, it welcomes progress made so far, including in countries with economies in transition and developing countries, in further analysing, adapting and applying various measures and policy instruments designed to internalize environmental externalities. The Commission recognizes that command-and-control measures and social and economic instruments all have their role to play in changing production and consumption patterns. Governments should take into account local and national conditions in designing and implementing such instruments. In the long run, economic and other market-based instruments are likely to be more cost-effective in bringing about sustained changes in producer and consumer behaviour. In this regard, the Commission invites Governments to consider introducing economic measures, including tax and subsidies reform designed to reduce negative environmental impacts and support employment. 

41. The Commission regards natural resource accounting as a valuable tool for the comprehensive full-cost pricing of resource use, and calls upon Governments and international organizations to promote efforts aimed at integrating natural resource accounting into standard systems of national accounts. The Commission welcomes pilot projects launched by United Nations agencies in this area and urges Governments, as appropriate, to give full support to these activities. 

42. The Commission recognizes the international dimensions of national efforts to change consumption and production patterns within the context of common but differentiated responsibilities. The Commission emphasizes that strengthened international cooperation in harmonizing criteria for the setting of voluntary product standards, with due regard to the specific environmental, social and economic conditions in developing producer/exporting countries, should take into account concerns about market access and the competitiveness of products and services. In this regard, the Commission calls upon Governments to intensify efforts to encourage the transfer of appropriate technology. 

43. The Commission also recognizes the wide scope and multiplicity of the issues related to consumption and production patterns. The Commission stresses the importance of and encourages the exchange of information at all levels on experience in changing production and consumption patterns. 

44. The Commission welcomes in this regard the initiative of the Republic of Korea to organize a workshop on policy measures for changing consumption patterns. Further reviews of country experiences might be initiated by the Commission on Sustainable Development in collaboration with relevant United Nations bodies, including the regional commissions, and other international organizations. 

45. Taking into account the preceding paragraphs, the Commission adopts for its future work on changing production and consumption patterns the following work programme: 

A. Identifying the policy implications of projected trends in consumption and production patterns 

The Commission will review periodic reports containing long-term projections of the world economy with a time-horizon of up to 40 years. Such projections should cover, inter alia, resource consumption and associated environmental, social and economic impacts, with particular reference to developing countries' efforts at meeting basic needs, eradicating poverty and achieving economic growth. Such studies should, inter alia, build upon the existing work of the United Nations system and other international organizations, and should make use of global models designed to project a number of indicators on environmental stress and its impact on the environment and human health. 

B. Assessing the impact on developing countries, especially the least developed countries and small island developing States, of changes in consumption and production in developed countries 

The Commission will review periodic reports on the economic, social and environmental impacts, particularly on developing countries, of world-wide changes in consumption and production patterns. Such reports should assess, inter alia, the additional trade opportunities open to developing countries arising from the increasing demand for environmentally sound products in developed countries, as well as possible adverse impacts on exports from developing countries. The reports should also examine the prospects of increasing technology transfer through enhanced foreign direct investment. 

C. Evaluating the effectiveness of policy measures intended to change consumption and production patterns, such as command-and-control, economic and social instruments, government procurement policies and guidelines 

The Commission will review reports on the effectiveness of policy measures in changing consumption and production patterns, for example, through the internalization of environmental costs. The reports should evaluate the performance of command-and-control, social and economic instruments in country-specific situations with a view to facilitating a better understanding of the policy options that are available to policy makers in all countries. 

D. Eliciting timebound voluntary commitment from countries to make measurable progress on those sustainable development goals that have an especially high priority at the national level 

The Commission will review a synthesis of national information to assess progress in fulfilling timebound commitments by Governments concerned on a voluntary basis. In this context, the Commission urges Governments and other stakeholders to use the report of the Oslo Ministerial Roundtable Conference on Sustainable Production and Consumption, entitled "Elements for an international work programme on sustainable production and consumption", as a basis for actions and for discussion in suitable forums, and thereafter to report to the Commission on the implementation of those recommendations considered most appropriate, in time for consideration by the Commission at its fifth session, in 1997. 

E. Revision of the guidelines for consumer protection 

The Commission recommends that the guidelines for consumer protection adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 39/248 of 9 April 1985 be expanded to include guidelines for sustainable consumption patterns. 

46. The Commission urges Governments, the various organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, other intergovernmental organizations, the secretariats of the various international conventions, and major groups, particularly local authorities, business and industry, to undertake specific elements of the Commission's work programme on changing production and consumption patterns. The Commission stresses the importance of exchanging country experiences. The Commission also notes with appreciation ongoing OECD work on sustainable production and consumption, and encourages OECD to submit the results of its work in this area to the Commission as soon as possible. The Commission recommends the convening of an expert meeting on sustainable production and consumption patterns, with the widest possible participation and hosted by interested Governments, to be held before its next substantive session with a view to collecting information, ideas and suggestions for the follow-up of this work. 
 
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Commission on Sustainable Development, 4th Session
New York, 18 April-3 May 1996

Report of the Commission on Sustainable Development on the Fourth Session (18 April-3 May 1996) 

Decision 4/13. Changing production and consumption patterns: Chapter 4 of Agenda 21. 

1. The Commission on Sustainable Development: 

(a) Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on changing consumption and production patterns (E/CN.17/1996/5 and Add.1) presenting an overview of progress with regard to policy developments, and welcomes the progress reported therein in the implementation of the international work programme. In addition the Commission noted the contributions of Member States, non-governmental organizations and business and international organizations, in particular the Workshop on Policy Measures for Changing Consumption Patterns, hosted by the Government of the Republic of Korea, the Rosendal Workshop on Consumption and Production Patterns: Clarifying the Concepts, organized by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Government of Norway, and the international conference on sustainable industrial development hosted by the Government of the Netherlands; 

(b) Takes note of the report of the Ad Hoc Inter-sessional Working Group on Finance and Changing Consumption and Production Patterns (E/CN.17/1996/7); 

(c) Reaffirms the relevance of the programme of work and urges Governments, relevant organizations of the United Nations system, other intergovernmental organizations, the secretariats of the various international conventions, and major groups, particularly business and industry, to further implement the work programme and remain seized of the subject; 

(d) Notes that the work programme adopted at the third session of the Commission is mainly research oriented, and also notes that the 1997 review of the implementation of Agenda 21 will provide an opportunity for further directing the work programme towards a more action-oriented approach. In this respect, the Commission requests the Secretariat to consider specific proposals for action in the reports to be presented under the work programme; 

(e) Stresses that there must be an appropriate balance in the attention given to both the supply side and the demand side in the context of changing unsustainable consumption and production patterns. Changes in end use and consumer lifestyles are needed, particularly in the industrialized countries, while increased eco-efficiency will yield benefits to business and to industry, as well as to the government sector in all countries. A balanced approach to more sustainable production and consumption requires both good management and appropriate technology; 

(f) Notes that the concept of eco-efficiency should not be a substitute for changes in unsustainable lifestyles of consumers, and also notes that the pursuit of eco-efficiency also requires enhanced efforts to assist developing countries in their efforts to promote sustainable consumption and production patterns, by improving access to financial resources and environmentally sound technologies; 

(g) Reiterates all the decisions taken on issues relating to changing consumption and production patterns at its second and third sessions; 

(h) Notes an important linkage between the issues of changing consumption and production patterns and financial issues of Agenda 21: at the macroeconomic level, savings are generated as a function of income and consumption. These savings are among the national and international resources available for financing sustainable development which includes economic and social development and environmental protection. At the same time, such savings in many developing countries are limited in view of their already low levels of income; 

(i) Reaffirms that the major cause of continued degradation of the global environment is the unsustainable patterns of consumption and production, particularly in industrialized countries; 

(j) Reiterates that measures to be undertaken at the international level for the protection and enhancement of the environment must take fully into account the current imbalances in the global patterns of consumption and production, and that changing consumption patterns will require a multipronged strategy focusing on demand, meeting the basic needs of the poor, and reducing wastage and the use of finite resources in the production process; 

(k) Notes that changes in consumption and production patterns could result in the sustainable utilization of natural resources, through their transformation into products and services for the equitable benefit of all countries, as well as in the prevention and mitigation of the environmental, health and social cost of pollution; 

(l) Stresses the need for more efficiency in energy use and measures to promote the use of renewable energy, and for enhanced international cooperation to support national actions in this regard; 

(m) Emphasizes that efforts to change patterns of consumption and production should take into account developing countries' sustainable development strategies, including economic, social and environmental aspects of growth; 

(n) Notes the trend towards a global consensus on the importance of changing consumption and production patterns, in the context of common but differentiated responsibilities, and also notes that many countries - developed countries, developing countries and countries with economies in transition - have reported on national initiatives to make consumption and production patterns more sustainable; 

(o) Recommends that measures for changing consumption and production patterns worldwide should take into account, as appropriate, the need for improved market access, particularly for developing countries and countries with economies in transition, for more sustainably produced goods and services; 

(p) Welcomes efforts undertaken by various countries in making use of policy instruments proposed by the Commission and recommends that the exchange of experiences in that field continue; 

(q) Acknowledging the progress made by various countries in the development of national policies intended to change consumption and production patterns, reaffirms the need for additional substantial efforts to be undertaken and real progress to be achieved by countries, in particular the developed countries, in changing their unsustainable consumption and production patterns and in assisting to redress the present imbalances between industrialized and developing countries and within themselves. The Commission recognizes that the industrialized countries should be taking the lead (as some already are) in these efforts, and that such countries have a responsibility to demonstrate that resource-efficient, low-pollution consumption and production patterns and sustainable lifestyles are feasible, desirable, and essential for progress in achieving sustainable development; and renews its call on all countries to strive to promote sustainable consumption patterns, and on developed countries to continue to take the lead in promoting and achieving more sustainable consumption patterns; 

(r) Considers that designing and implementing eco-efficiency as well as product-related strategies could be useful in reducing the energy and materials intensities of production and consumption, and that such concepts as energy and materials intensity, carrying capacity, eco-space and ecological footprints should be analysed for further development and use; 

(s) Recognizes that Governments at all levels can influence other stakeholders in society, inter alia, through the setting of environmental regulations and through their purchasing and investment policies. Procurement policies can address the issue of the purchase and maintenance of goods and services of hospital and school equipment and vehicle fleets, and that of the use of environmentally sound products; 

(t) Recognizes the potential for using economic instruments that can both generate revenue for financing sustainable development and send signals to the market to help change unsustainable consumption and production patterns; 

(u) Stresses the importance of the contribution made by major groups and the private sector towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production worldwide; 

(v) Also stresses that the issues specified in paragraphs 2 to 4 of the present decision are relevant to all stakeholders, and calls on Governments, international organizations, business and industry, trade unions and non-governmental organizations to bring forward the findings and results of their work for consideration by the Commission at its fifth session as regards inclusion in the review at the 1997 special session of the General Assembly; 

(w) Requests the Secretariat to compile information on measures taken by Governments, the private sector, trade unions and non-governmental organizations in response to the priorities set out in chapter 4 of Agenda 21, and decides to review this information at future sessions of the Commission, as appropriate. 

2. The Commission urges Governments: 

(a) To continue their efforts aimed at achieving more sustainable patterns of production and consumption, taking into account the particular needs and conditions of the developing countries. The Commission reaffirms the need for additional and substantial efforts and real progress by all countries, and renews its call on developed countries to continue to take the lead in promoting and achieving more sustainable production and consumption patterns; 

(b) To effectively continue efforts to reduce pollution and the generation of waste and to increase efforts to promote continuous improvements in the energy and materials intensities of production and consumption, and encourages Governments to share information on their experience with such policies, and to ensure the full participation of major groups; 

(c) To explore the implications of eco-efficiency for policy development and implementation, in particular in combination with priority identification and goal-setting; 

(d) To give more attention, in conjunction with major groups, business and industry, to the role that media, advertising and marketing play in shaping consumption and production patterns, and to report findings and national experiences to the Commission at its fifth session, in 1997; 

(e) To analyse and implement optimal mixes of regulatory, voluntary, economic and social instruments and measures, based on close collaboration between the public and private sectors, to make production and consumption patterns more sustainable, taking due account of the potential roles of domestic measures, such as education, procurement policies, eco-labelling, extended and shared producer responsibility, environmental auditing and accounting, environmental taxes, other market-based instruments, and the reduction and removal of environmentally damaging subsidies; 

(f) To bear in mind, in this regard, that such instruments should not constitute a means of arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination or a disguised restriction on trade; and that the design and implementation of such instruments should be transparent and would need to include careful assessment and consultation so as to reflect the concerns of all countries involved. The Commission emphasizes that eco-labelling needs to be approached in a manner that takes into account the special situation and needs of developing countries and the specific requirements of countries with economies in transition. In this context, the Commission notes that domestic eco- labelling, adopted at national discretion within countries and on a voluntary basis, remains an important strategy for promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns; 

(g) To establish and implement policies for the procurement of environmentally sound and otherwise sustainable products and services for use within Governments, and invites Governments to report to the Commission at its fifth session on their experiences in this regard with a view to their inclusion in the review to be conducted at the 1997 special session of the General Assembly. The Commission also notes with satisfaction that in February 1996 OECD Governments agreed to strive to achieve the highest standards of environmental performance in their facilities and operations, the Commission has asked them to report to it at future sessions, as appropriate, on progress achieved; 

(h) To foster a dialogue with relevant non-governmental organizations, for example national consumer organizations, and the business community, pursuant to paragraph 45.D in chapter I of the report of the Commission on its third session; 13/ 

(i) To facilitate the participation of major groups, in particular non-governmental organizations, women, youth and trade unions, in developing and implementing policies for promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns. 

3. The Commission calls upon international organizations: 

(a) To strengthen their work in support of national initiatives by undertaking sound analyses on (i) projected trends in consumption and production patterns and their policy implications, (ii) the implications of eco-efficiency for policy development and (iii) the merits and drawbacks of the different types of instruments available to achieve changes in consumption and production patterns; 

(b) In particular the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and OECD, to consider undertaking, within existing resources, policy-relevant studies of the possible impacts for developing countries of changes in consumption and production patterns in developed countries. The focus of this work should be on two aspects: (i) assisting Governments in identifying impacts and options for the mitigation of adverse environmental, social and economic impacts and (ii) identifying and stimulating new trade and investment opportunities; 

(c) Including relevant United Nations organizations, the Bretton Woods institutions, OECD and other intergovernmental organizations, with good data and knowledge of policy development and implementation, to establish or contribute to an information clearing-house on new and innovative policies for more sustainable consumption and production patterns, including the use of economic instruments, voluntary measures and education. In this context, the Commission invites these organizations, in particular UNEP, the World Bank and the regional development banks, to undertake joint efforts aimed at helping all countries, particularly developing countries and countries with economies in transition, to benefit mutually from existing experiences with sustainable industrial development approaches and to adapt these approaches to domestic circumstances; 

(d) To support Governments in initiatives to improve their environmental performance, with regard to materials and energy efficiency, waste management and pollution prevention, procurement and investment policies, and the continued integration of environmental policy with economic and other policies. In addition, the Commission calls upon international organizations to use high environmental performance standards in the day-to-day management of their own facilities and operations. 

4. The Commission encourages major groups: 

(a) To cooperate with Governments in the design and implementation of new and innovative policies, and mixes of instruments, to achieve changes in consumption and production patterns; 

(b) In particular Consumers International, to assist the United Nations and its member Governments in the early revision of the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection, 14/ to include aspects of more sustainable consumption and production patterns; 

(c) And calls specifically on business and industry: 

(i) To continue exercising environmental responsibility, inter alia, by developing and implementing the concept of eco-efficiency, and in particular to assess its potentials and limitations in terms of achieving sustainable development, without reducing profitability; 

(ii) To help design optimal mixes of instruments for achieving more sustainable patterns. Special attention could be given to the obstacles and opportunities, and the costs and benefits, of implementing voluntary initiatives, partnerships and agreements, incorporating extended and shared producer responsibility (for example, the consideration of life-cycle impacts at the design stage of production and producer take-back requirements), and adopting environmental management systems such as the International Organization for Standardization series, ISO 14000. 
 
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United Nations General Assembly, 19th Special Session
New York, 23-27 June 1997

Resolution Adopted By The General Assembly for the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21 

Changing consumption and production patterns 

28. Unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, particularly in the industrialized countries, are identified in Agenda 21 as the major cause of continued deterioration of the global environment. While unsustainable patterns in the industrialized countries continue to aggravate the threats to the environment, there remain huge difficulties for developing countries in meeting basic needs such as food, health care, shelter and education for people. 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, guaranteeing the provision of basic needs for the poor, while avoiding those unsustainable patterns, particularly in industrialized countries, generally recognized as unduly hazardous to the environment, inefficient and wasteful, in their development processes. 

This requires enhanced technological and other assistance from industrialized countries. In the follow-up of the implementation of Agenda 21, the review of progress made in achieving sustainable consumption patterns should be given high priority. 17/ Consistent with Agenda 21, the development and further elaboration of national policies and strategies, particularly in industrialized countries, are needed to encourage changes in unsustainable consumption and production patterns, while strengthening, as appropriate, international approaches and policies that promote sustainable consumption patterns on the basis of the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, applying the polluter pays principle, and encouraging producer responsibility and greater consumer awareness. Eco-efficiency, cost internalization and product policies are also important tools for making consumption and production patterns more sustainable. Actions in this area should focus on: 

1. Promoting measures to internalize environmental costs and benefits in the price of goods and services, while seeking to avoid potential negative effects for market access by developing countries, particularly with a view to encouraging the use of environmentally preferable products and commodities. 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; 
2. Promoting the role of business in shaping more sustainable patterns of consumption by encouraging, as appropriate, the voluntary publication of environmental and social assessments of its own activities, taking into account specific country conditions, and actions as an agent of change in the market, and actions in its role as a major consumer of goods and services; 
3. Developing core indicators to monitor critical trends in consumption and production patterns, with industrialized countries taking the lead; 
4. Identifying best practices through evaluations of policy measures with respect to their environmental effectiveness, efficiency and implications for social equity, and disseminating such evaluations; 
5. Taking into account the linkages between urbanization and the environmental and developmental effects of consumption and production patterns in cities, thus promoting more sustainable patterns of urbanization; 
6. Promoting international and national programmes for energy and material efficiency with timetables for their implementation, as appropriate. In this regard, attention should be given to studies that propose to improve the efficiency of resource use, including consideration of a 10-fold improvement in resource productivity in industrialized countries in the long term and a possible factor-four increase in industrialized countries in the next two or three decades. Further research is required to study the feasibility of these goals and the practical measures needed for their implementation. Industrialized countries will have a special responsibility and must take the lead in this respect. The Commission on Sustainable Development should consider this initiative in the coming years in exploring policies and measures necessary to implement eco-efficiency and, for this purpose, encourage the relevant bodies to adopt measures aimed at assisting developing countries in improving energy and material efficiency through the promotion of their endogenous capacity-building and economic development with enhanced and effective international support; 
7. Encouraging Governments to take the lead in changing consumption patterns by improving their own environmental performance with action-oriented policies and goals on procurement, the management of public facilities and the further integration of environmental concerns into national policy-making. Governments in developed countries, in particular, should take the lead in this regard; 
8. Encouraging the media, advertising and marketing sectors to help shape sustainable consumption patterns; 
9. Improving the quality of information regarding the environmental impact of products and services and, to that end, encouraging the voluntary and transparent use of eco-labelling; 
10. Promoting measures favouring eco-efficiency; however, developed countries should pay special attention to the needs of developing countries, in particular by encouraging positive impacts, and to the need to avoid negative impacts on export opportunities and on market access for developing countries and, as appropriate, for countries with economies in transition; 
11. Encouraging the development and strengthening of educational programmes to promote sustainable consumption and production patterns; 
12. Encouraging business and industry to develop and apply environmentally sound technology that should aim not only at increasing competitiveness but also at reducing negative environmental impacts; 
13. Giving balanced consideration to both the demand side and the supply side of the economy in matching environmental concerns and economic factors, which could encourage changes in the behaviour of consumers and producers. A number of policy options should be examined; they include regulatory instruments, economic and social incentives and disincentives, facilities and infrastructure, information, education, and technology development and dissemination.

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Commission on Sustainable Development, 6th Session
New York, 13 April-1 May 1998

Report of the Commission on Sustainable Development on the Sixth Session 
(22 December 1997 and 20 April 1 May 1998) 

Draft Decision I: Consumer protection guidelines for sustainable consumption 

The Economic and Social Council, recalling its resolution 1997/53 of 23 July 1997 on consumer protection: 

1. Notes with appreciation the organization of the Interregional Expert Group Meeting on Consumer Protection and Sustainable Consumption, held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1/ and the specific recommendations of that meeting on new guidelines, as requested in resolution 1997/53; 
2. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General; 
3. Invites Governments to undertake national consultations, with appropriate stakeholder groups, including consumer organizations and representatives of business, trade unions and non-governmental organizations, on guidelines for sustainable consumption, and to submit their views on the proposed new guidelines to the Secretariat so that they can be made available to all Governments; 
4. Invites the Bureau of the Commission on Sustainable Development to organize, within existing resources, open-ended consultations among States and to report thereon to the Inter-sessional Ad Hoc Working Group for its consideration, having regard to the report of the Secretary-General; 2/ 
5. Requests the Commission to report to the Council at its substantive session of 1999 on guidelines for sustainable consumption.