This article relates to Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production, one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Goal icon by the United Nations. Emberoot is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the UN.
SDG 12 is the Global Goal about how the world makes and uses things: food, clothes, phones, packaging, fuel and the raw materials behind them. Its official aim is to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. In practice that means wasting less, using materials more carefully, handling chemicals and rubbish safely, and giving people and companies the information to choose better. This explainer covers the SDG 12 targets, the latest data and where the world is falling behind.
What SDG 12 covers
SDG 12 is one of the 17 Global Goals adopted in 2015. The official list has 11 targets. In plain words, the core ones are:
- 12.2 Natural resources: manage and use natural resources sustainably and efficiently by 2030.
- 12.3 Food waste: halve per-person food waste at retail and consumer level, and cut food losses in production and supply chains.
- 12.4 Chemicals and waste: handle chemicals and all wastes safely through their life cycle and cut releases to air, water and soil.
- 12.5 Less waste: substantially reduce waste through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.
- 12.6 Company reporting: encourage companies, especially large ones, to adopt sustainable practices and report on them.
- 12.7 Public buying: promote sustainable public procurement.
- 12.8 Awareness: make sure people everywhere have the information to live sustainably.
- 12.c Fossil-fuel subsidies: phase out inefficient subsidies that encourage wasteful use, while protecting poor communities.
The others cover the UN’s ten-year framework on sustainable consumption (12.1), support for developing countries’ science and technology (12.a) and tools to monitor sustainable tourism (12.b).
Where the world stands on SDG 12
The UN Sustainable Development Goals Report 2026 gives the most recent picture.
Resource use keeps rising. Global domestic material consumption grew 25%, from 92.1 billion tonnes in 2015 to 115.1 billion tonnes in 2022, or from 12.3 to 14.4 tonnes per person, according to the 2026 report. The UN’s Goal 12 page notes that the material footprint per person in high-income countries is ten times that of low-income countries.
Food loss and waste are not falling. About 13.3% of food was lost after harvest and before reaching retail in 2023, up from 13.0% in 2015. UNEP’s Food Waste Index Report 2024 estimated that 1.05 billion tonnes of food were wasted in 2022, 132 kg per person and almost a fifth of the food available to consumers. Households were responsible for 60%, food services for 28% and retail for 12%. UNEP puts food loss and waste at 8 to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Electronic waste is growing faster than recycling. The 2026 report puts e-waste at 65 million tonnes in 2023, with only 15.5 million tonnes formally recycled. The Global E-waste Monitor 2024 projected 82 million tonnes by 2030.
Why responsible consumption matters
Almost every other goal depends on SDG 12. Food waste affects hunger (SDG 2), mining and waste affect water and land (SDGs 6 and 15), and the energy behind production drives climate change (SDG 13). The UN’s Goal 12 page warns that if the population reaches 9.8 billion by 2050, keeping current lifestyles would need the equivalent of almost three planets.
It also matters for business. Waste is money paid for things that are thrown away: ingredients, packaging, stock, energy. Cutting it usually cuts cost.
What is off track
Food waste, material use and e-waste are the clearest problems: all three are rising or flat when the targets call for steep cuts. Target 12.4 had a 2020 deadline for sound management of chemicals and waste, which has passed. Fossil-fuel subsidies fell 10% in 2024 to $921 billion, but that is still far above the 2020 low of $402 billion, according to the 2026 report.
There are gains. The number of countries with compliant sustainable public procurement policies rose from 49 in 2022 to 54 in 2025, and the report says the number of companies publishing sustainability reports has more than quadrupled since 2015. Countries reported 609 policy instruments on sustainable consumption and production by 2025, a 16% rise since 2019.
For targets, facts and practical actions in one place, see our SDG 12 goal page. If waste or reporting is a cost problem in your business, our automation work often starts with measuring it properly.
Frequently asked questions
What does SDG 12 mean?
SDG 12 is the twelfth UN Sustainable Development Goal, agreed in 2015. Its official aim is to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. It covers efficient use of natural resources, halving food waste, safe handling of chemicals and waste, less waste overall, company sustainability reporting, sustainable public procurement, public awareness and phasing out wasteful fossil-fuel subsidies.
How much food is wasted globally?
UNEP’s Food Waste Index Report 2024 estimated that 1.05 billion tonnes of food were wasted in 2022 across retail, food service and households, about 132 kg per person and almost a fifth of food available to consumers. Households accounted for 60% of that. Separately, about 13.3% of food was lost between harvest and retail in 2023.
Is SDG 12 on track?
Mostly not. Material use, food loss and e-waste have risen since 2015 when the targets call for reductions, and the 2020 deadline for safe management of chemicals and waste has passed. There is progress on public procurement policies and company reporting, and fossil-fuel subsidies fell in 2024, though they remain far above 2020 levels.