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United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development
Goals
12

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Targets and Indicators

Target

12.1

Implement the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns, 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 developing, adopting or implementing policy instruments aimed at supporting the shift to sustainable consumption and production

Target

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

Target

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

(a) Food loss index and (b) food waste index

Target

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

(a) Hazardous waste generated per capita; and (b) proportion of hazardous waste treated, by type of treatment

Target

12.5

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

12.5.1

National recycling rate, tons of material recycled

Target

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

Target

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

Target

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 are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment

Target

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

Installed renewable energy-generating capacity in developing and developed countries (in watts per capita)

Target

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

Implementation of standard accounting tools to monitor the economic and environmental aspects of tourism sustainability

Target

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 (production and consumption) per unit of GDP

Progress and Info

Global progress on sustainable consumption is advancing, with policy instruments up 16% since 2019, fossil fuel subsidies down 10.2% in 2024, compared with 2023, and a gradual improvement in monitoring tourism's contribution to sustainable development. Yet implementation consistently lags policy adoption, with persistent gaps in food waste data and e-waste recycling capacity falling well short of generation. To bridge this gap, countries should prioritize national monitoring systems, standardized e-waste collection, food waste tracking and circularity principles. The United Nations is addressing these challenges through the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns, playing an important role in supporting the translation of global commitments into national action and scaling multi-stakeholder cooperation. 

Target 12.1: Between 2019 and 2025, 75 countries reported 609 policy instruments, a 16% increase from the previous period, with eight countries reporting for the first time, reflecting broadening global engagement. 

Target 12.3: The share of food lost globally after harvest, across farm, transport, storage, wholesale and processing stages, is estimated at 13.3% in 2023, up slightly from 13.0% in 2015. In 2022, 1.05 billion tonnes of food went to waste at the retail, food service, and household levels, equivalent to 19% of the world’s available food. Combined, food loss and waste are responsible for up to 10% of greenhouse gas emissions and result in $1 trillion annual economic losses, in addition to the impact on biodiversity loss, land use and natural resources. 

Target 12.4: Global reporting on hazardous waste and chemicals has improved, with the Montreal Protocol maintaining a 100% reporting rate. For 2020–2024, the Basel and Stockholm Conventions reached submission rates of 66, and 51% respectively, while the Minamata Convention achieved 76% in its latest cycle (2021-2024). 

Target 12.5: In 2023, global e-waste reached 65 million tonnes (8.1 kg per capita), yet only 15.5 million tonnes were formally recycled. Collection rates are not keeping pace with rapidly increasing generation.

Target 12.7: In 2025, 54 countries achieved a compliant score for sustainable public procurement policies, up from 49 in 2022, and demonstrated that the primary challenge has shifted from policy creation to implementation. 

Target 12.b: Between the 2024 and 2025 data collection cycles, the number of countries implementing tools to monitor the economic and environmental dimensions of tourism sustainability increased from 30 to 54 countries. Over the period 2015-2024, 56% of countries compiled at least one of these tools for one or more years. Within this group, 52% compiled Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) tables and 34% compiled System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) tables. 

Target 12.c: In 2024, compared with 2023, global fossil fuel subsidies fell 10.2% to $921 billion, continuing a downward trend from the 2022 peak of $1.66 trillion, though levels remain more than double the 2020 low of $424 billion.

The 2026 Advance Unedited Version of the Extended Report on SDG 12 can be found here: https://hlpf.un.org/sites/default/files/2026-06/SG%20Progress%20Report%202026_1.pdf