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12. Responsible consumption and production

12. Responsible consumption and production

Decoupling economic growth from resource use is one of the most critical and complex challenges facing humanity today. Doing so effectively will require policies that create a conducive environment for such change, social and physical infrastructure and markets, and a profound transformation of business practices along global value chains.

Read our stories to learn more about SDG Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production

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To adopt SDG 12 Responsible consumption and production, in support of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, please contact us at partners@eco-business.com

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News

Microplastics_Chemicals_Regulation
Research is ongoing into the health effects of the world’s roughly 350,000 synthetic chemicals, but what we know so far is cause for concern. Plastics, PFAS and other synthetic chemicals are linked to numerous health risks, and emerging research even suggests rising atmospheric CO2 levels may harm health.
Parrot_Tree-Tropical_Forest
Meant to pay countries for keeping forests standing, the fund has an interim charter, a board, a World Bank home… and insufficient funds.
COP17_Yerevn_Armenia_Panel
UN summit in Armenia ended with few concrete steps to address drivers of biodiversity loss, as disagreements exposed gap between targets and action.
Singapore Central Business District
The region accounts for nearly half of global GDP represented by economies adopting ISSB standards, but ACCA warns that businesses must move beyond compliance to address climate risks, resource pressures and emerging challenges.
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Opinion

Huangzhou_Skyline_AI_Regulation
China has built an extensive framework for regulating AI risks – challenging perceptions that global governance must begin with rules developed by the United States and its allies.
Nature_Deal_Peacok
Environmental conservation is among the most important, universally shared imperatives the world faces, and market access is one of the few carrots available in international politics. By linking tariffs to deforestation, the EU and others can create trade agreements that deliver more conservation and more gains from trade.
Coal_Migrant_Workers_China
In regions where economic activity has long revolved around fossil-fuel extraction, ensuring a just transition requires developing alternative livelihoods that account for each community’s specific needs. Regional endowment funds could be a useful vehicle for funding these local initiatives.
Wetlands_Conservation_Boatman_Birds

Carbon & Climate

Nature can’t wait

Although the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine are spurring governments to increase spending on defence and focus more on economic growth, it would be a mistake to postpone investments designed to protect nature. In fact, meeting internationally agreed targets could add up to US$450 billion to annual global GDP by 2050.
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Videos

UCFS TH 2026 Opening plenary
As water stress intensifies across Thailand, speakers at Unlocking Capital for Sustainability Thailand 2026 examine how policy, finance and business can strengthen water security.
UCFS ID 2026 closing plenary
Speakers at Unlocking capital for sustainability Indonesia 2026 discuss how Indonesia can power its mineral boom without compromising climate goals or community trust
Resilience Episode 2
In this second episode of Eco-Business’s Resilience podcast series, Singapore's Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary and youth sustainability advocate Man Jing Kong dives into what resilience means for the city-state with Jessica Cheam. Watch as they discuss everything from climate adaptation to mental health and building public trust as an AI-driven economy reshapes daily life.
Singapore apple store
EB Studio Singapore's rapidly expanding digital economy is driving a surge in data centre energy consumption, creating new challenges for the country's low-carbon ambitions. This Eco-Business video explores how green software and efficient digital infrastructure can support sustainable digital growth.
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Podcasts

Resilience Episode 2
In this second episode of Eco-Business’s Resilience podcast series, Singapore's Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary and youth sustainability advocate Man Jing Kong dives into what resilience means for the city-state with Jessica Cheam. Watch as they discuss everything from climate adaptation to mental health and building public trust as an AI-driven economy reshapes daily life.
EB podcast - Resilience episode one image
In the inaugural episode of Eco-Business's new Resilience podcast series, industry leaders say the palm oil sector's ability to weather disruption will depend not on certification alone, but on rethinking the relationships that underpin the entire supply chain.
Luanne Sieh has been group chief sustainability officer at CIMB Bank for the last eight and a half years
The Malaysia-headquartered bank's sustainability chief tells the EB Podcast about the discipline's mandate to prove value, wrestling with NGOs, and greenwashing in finance.
WTE podcast
Amid back‑to‑back trash slides and a landfill fire in one of Southeast Asia’s leakiest waste systems, Philippine environment undersecretary Jonas Leones touts new science‑based safeguards for a waste‑to‑energy buildout in the country.
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Strategic Organisations

NVPC Singapore Company of Good logo
First Gen
NZCA