Responsible Consumption and Production

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Main Challenges

Reduce consumption and food waste, thereby reducing the Icelandic ecological footprint

Implement the tenants of the circular economy in consumption and production so that the exploitation of natural resources does not surpass their natural limits

Tourism in harmony with nature and society

Responsible Consumption and Production

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Main Challenges

Reduce consumption and food waste, thereby reducing the Icelandic ecological footprint

Implement the tenants of the circular economy in consumption and production so that the exploitation of natural resources does not surpass their natural limits

Tourism in harmony with nature and society

What can we do?

  • Shop local.
  • Choose products with less packaging and with recyclable packaging.
  • Reduce the amount of waste you produce.
  • Reuse products.
  • Upcycle.
  • Fully use products.
  • Avoid buying plastics.
  • Weigh and document the amount of trash your household produces.
  • Separate recyclables from other waste.
  • Buy “wrong” produce.
  • Buy products produced sustainably.
  • Be conscious of the origin and connections of the products your purchase.

The United Nations Targets

  • 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
  • By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
  • 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
  • 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
  • By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse
  • Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle
  • Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities
  • By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature
  • Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production
  • Develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products
  • 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