12: Sieve, Collect & Build; The Base & the Status Quo

A brief return to the document about SDG 12 as published by the UN, and how to indicate the targets. Because that's the hardest issue; the global scale. And how do we know the progress and ultimately when the targets have been met? And from the UN a short report on the current situation regarding the SDG's. I also want to reflect on the SDG summit recently held in Amsterdam.

TARGETS of Sdg 12 

indicators

12.1 

Implement the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, all countries taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries 

12.1.1

Number of countries with sustainable consumption and production (SCP) national action plans or SCP mainstreamed as a priority or a target into national policies

12.2 

By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources 

12.2.1

Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP

12.2.2

Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP

12.3 

By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses 

12.3.1

Global food loss index

12.4 

By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment 

12.4.1

Number of parties to international multilateral environmental agreements on hazardous waste, and other chemicals that meet their commitments and obligations in transmitting information as required by each relevant agreement

12.4.2

Hazardous waste generated per capita and proportion of hazardous waste treated, by type of treatment

12.5 

By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse 

12.5.1

National recycling rate, tons of material recycled

12.6 

Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle 

12.6.1

Number of companies publishing sustainability reports

12.7 

Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities 

12.7.1

Number of countries implementing sustainable public procurement policies and action plans

12.8 

By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature 

12.8.1

Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development (including climate change education) are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment

12.A

Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production 

12.A.1

Amount of support to developing countries on research and development for sustainable consumption and production and environmentally sound technologies

12.B

Develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products 

12.B.1

Number of sustainable tourism strategies or policies and implemented action plans with agreed monitoring and evaluation tools

12.C 

Rationalize inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption by removing market distortions, in accordance with national circumstances, including by restructuring taxation and phasing out those harmful subsidies, where they exist, to reflect their environmental impacts, taking fully into account the specific needs and conditions of developing countries and minimizing the possible adverse impacts on their development in a manner that protects the poor and the affected communities

12.C.1

Amount of fossil-fuel subsidies per unit of GDP (production and consumption) and as a proportion of total national expenditure on fossil fuels

Most of the indicators are amounts and numbers. The ' how' is hardly mentioned. It is hard to measure, but don't we have to? For instance: 'The number of countries implementing sustainable public procurement policies and action plans' doesn't say anything about the prospected impact of the plans and the actual measurements taken. Reports do not always show transparency. And the current situation doesn't sound cheerful at all, considering the UN report:
( https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg12 )

PROGRESS OF GOAL 12 IN 2017

Achieving Goal 12 requires a strong national framework for sustainable consumption and production that is integrated into national and sectoral plans, sustainable business practices and consumer behaviour, together with adherence to international norms on the management of hazardous chemicals and wastes.

• Decoupling economic growth from natural resource use is fundamental to sustainable development. Global figures, however, point to worsening trends: domestic material consumption (the total amount of natural resour ces used in economic processes) increased from 1.2 kg to 1.3 kg per unit of GDP from 2000 to 2010. Total domestic material consumption also rose during the same period — from 48.7 billion tons to 71.0 billion tons. The increase is due in part to rising natural resource use worldwide, in particular in Eastern Asia.
• Countries continue to address challenges linked to air, soil and water pollution and exposure to toxic chemicals under the auspices of multilateral environmental agreements. Almost all States Members of the United Nations are party to at least one of those conventions. Under the conventions’ obligations, countries are requested to regularly report data and information related to hazardous wastes, persistent organic pollutants and ozone depleting substances. However, from 2010 to 2014, only 57 per cent of the parties to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, 71 per cent of the parties to the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade and 51 per cent of the parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants provided the requested data and information. All parties reported to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

Source: Report of the Secretary-General, "Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals", E/2017/66

This is hard to read; since the start of the SDG's the situation has not improved at all. And yet so many initiatives are being taken. Are they not registered? Is the scale of all that too small for a global reduction of waste, material consumption, pollution and disuse of natural resources? Presumably. Waste still is to many people a rather vague issue. Industrial waste is invisible to consumers, but, as we read above, is hazardous and polluting. Domestic waste is for many people easier not to think too much about. You just drop your disposed stuff in a bag, a bin or leave it on the street. Stuff is often cheap, there's so much to choose from and fashion changes in less than a season.  We do not relate enough to the things we have, otherwise we wouldn't have so much waste. 

So we will have to continuously work very hard and keep the action organised. Last week a Dutch summit took place at the Amsterdam Tropeninstituut; now called SDG House. Short presentations, plenary sessions with politicians and challengers, networking during breaks and the official opening of the SDG House. It was informative, but also very old-school I must say. It felt as if the symposium wanted to breathe that most of the work is already being done in the best possible way. "Yeah, we're working on it, look at us!". But most of the work still has to be done, only a tiny Tom Thumb step has been taken so far. I joined the session about opportunities abroad. It was all about export- "we're so good and there's plenty of opportunities! ". But nothing on import, nothing on how incredibly hard it is to act according the SDG's and no longer according the Millennium Goals. Because that's an important difference which I hardly felt; we no longer bring good to developing countries, we have to adapt likewise with sustainable issues and change business and consumption practices dramatically. Philips was there to tell about a project with AMREF raising health clinics in Kenya. A good thing, no discussion about that. But only later in the plenary session Joel Voordewind- member of parliament for CU ( left-oriented Christian party) asked about the sources for the raw materials for their devices. Where does Philips get them and why are children working in the mines for them? He didn't take 'we know but it is hard' for an answer. Very good; it is a responsibility as a producer to keep asking your suppliers until the answer satisfies you. 
Former Prime Minister Jan Kees Balkenende now acts a sustainability-ambassador for entrepreneurs and pleaded to give the SDG's central role in the negotiations to form a new government. The steps currently taken are too small and the level of ambition needs to be raised. He, together with NGO Partos, also pleaded to always check the negative outcomes of an act, measure or law. Do companies really work on SDG's or do they adopt a project that's close to their business model or profile?
The Netherlands wants to be leading, but actually is slow and keeps on talking and agreeing rather than acting. 
So no reason at all to congratulate ourselves at this summit, but a good start was made with the SDG gateway; an online tool for SDG networking and cooperations.
https://gateway.sdgcharter.nl

(images are objects for sale at objectsofuse.com )