Advancing Sustainable Consumption in Asia – A Guidance Manual is the key output of the project Capacity Building for Implementation of UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection (Sustainable Consumption) in Asia. The manual provides Asian governments with practical tools for developing national action plans on sustainable consumption. It contains step-by-step guidanceon how national action plans on SC may be developed, with a special focus on: product information; waste prevention and minimization; sustainable government practices; awareness, education and marketing. See Report.

SC.Asia

SC.Asia is the short name for the project "Capacity Building for Implementation of UN Guidelines on Consumer Protection (sustainable consumption) in Asia". This two-year project is financially supported by the European Union, through its Asia Pro Eco programme, and is a collaborative effort between the United Nations Environment Programme, Consumers International, the Center for Environment and Development, and the Danish Consumer Council. The project was proposed as a means to respond to the call from governments in Asia to strengthen the capacity of Governments and other stakeholders to implement the UN Guidelines on sustainable consumption, and to share experiences regionally (Asia-Asia) and inter-regionally (Europe-Asia) on sustainable consumption practices.

The project involves six European countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden) and 12 Asian countries (Bangladesh, Cambodia, P.R. China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam).

Project outcomes are:

1. Identification, through reviews in Europe and Asia, of the context and conditions for sustainable consumption in Europe and Asia.
   
   
2. Sharing and feedback on findings in the reviews at the regional seminar (held in Manila, Philippines in March 2005)
   
   
3. A practical guidance-manual, with governments as the primary target group, for how to promote sustainable consumption (to be released in the second half of 2005)
   
   
4. Training on specific sustainable consumption tools (at the Manila seminar)
   
   
5. Draft National Action Plans on sustainable consumption, initiated as a training exercise at the Manila seminar. The purpose of this specific activity is to get national stakeholders started on considering develop full-scale national action plans on sustainable consumption.

The Regional Cross-Learning Seminar on Sustainable Consumption was organised by the United Nations Environment Programme, and hosted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of Philippines. The three-day seminar was attended by over 80 representatives from governments and other stakeholders from 13 countries in Asia and the Pacific. The aim was to build capacity of national governments for promoting sustainable consumption. The seminar emphasised on cross-learning between Asia and Europe, as well as among countries in Asia. The outcomes of the seminar will contribute to the development of a guidance manual to facilitate national government to implement UN Guidelines on Consumer Protection, section G: sustainable consumption. See background paper (PDF - 225 KB) and agenda (PDF - 22 KB).

The Asian region is characterised by a large and rapidly growing population (Asia is already home to more than half of the world population and is projected to reach 4.7 billion in 2025), a fast growing economy, with many markets opening up to international trade and influences, and a high rate of urbanisation coupled with increasing average life spans. The potential environmental and social impact from a scenario where the Asian population decide to fulfil their needs by following the same patterns of increased consumption as in Europe or North America, would lead to environmental and ecological disaster. Therefore, it is important to work and implement new development models that promote Sustainable Consumption and Production.