Responsible Consumption & Production
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. One-fifth of all food available to consumers — 1.05 billion tonnes — is wasted annually.
Food waste alone generates 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions
The Numbers That Matter
Why It Matters
Humanity's consumption patterns are unsustainable and accelerating environmental degradation. Food waste reached 1.05 billion tonnes in 2022 — one-fifth of all food available to consumers — while 1 in 11 people go hungry.
Read the full picture
Food loss and waste generate 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with economic costs exceeding $1 trillion annually. Electronic waste hit a record 62 billion kg in 2022 (7.8 kg per person), projected to reach 82 billion kg by 2030, with only 22.3% formally recycled. The world consumed 516 million tonnes of plastics in 2025. Fossil fuel subsidies hit a record $1.53 trillion in 2022, tripling since 2015 and undermining the net-zero transition. On the positive side, 96% of the world's 250 largest companies now publish sustainability reports, and the number of reports grew nearly fourfold between 2016 and 2023.
Topics Covered
Watch & Learn
Take Action
Turn what you've learned into real impact. Join a challenge and track your progress.
Food Waste Diary
Track every piece of food you throw away for a week, then create a plan to halve your household food waste.
Plastic-Free Week
Go an entire week without purchasing any single-use plastics.
Want to explore more goals?
Each SDG is interconnected. Discover how other goals relate to Responsible Consumption.
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