Sustainable Consumption and Production: A New Era? An ex-ante policy evaluation of achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 in the Netherlands

Abstract

This study investigates the likelihood of the Netherlands achieving sustainable consumption and production patterns, as defined in United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12. The Goal is one of 17 SDGs that form the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by United Nations (UN) member states in September 2015. The Agenda follows up on the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and covers the social, environmental and economic dimensions of sustainable development. Unlike its predecessor, the universal scope of the SDGs poses a challenge for developing and developed countries alike.

Three bodies of academic literature were studied to compile a list of 12 success conditions for the national implementation of SDG 12. A total of nine key informants from a variety of backgrounds were interviewed to assess the presence of these conditions in the Netherlands. Through a qualitative data analysis the study finds that the two conditions Leadership and Stakeholder collaboration are absent, while five are entirely present and five other are partially present. The study finds that a majority of conditions is at least partially present while some elements of missing conditions are likely to improve in the near future. The likelihood that SDG 12 will be reached successfully in the Netherlands is therefore estimated to be quite high. The study further provides recommendations to aid the implementation on three levels: For the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs in their position as coordinator for national SDG implementation; For improving the execution of sustainable consumption and production policies; For stimulating sustainable consumption and production in general.