Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

It’s hard to believe a year has passed since we started #TheSDGVizProject. Through 12 months we’ve had more than 45 people contribute over 140 vizzes to help spread awareness for the Sustainable Development Goals. That is more than we ever imagined and we can’t thank you all enough for you support and for your contributions. What’s even more amazing is that we still have five participants who have contributed to every single goal so far, a feat that even we, the organizers of the project, have not accomplished. Thank you Kamegaki Hiroyoshi , JUN Yamazaki, Satoshi Ganeko, Takafumi Shakuya, and Yasushi Ishikawa!!!

See all of this month’s submissions below, click on them to view them on Tableau Public, and make sure to check them out in our Viz Gallery

January Submissions:

             

              

        

 

What we learned from this month’s submissions:

  • Each year, 1.3 billion tons of food, or roughly 1/3 of all food produced, is wasted, with an estimated worth of roughly $1 Trillion. Meanwhile, nearly 2 billion people around the world are undernourished
  • Of the 1.3 billion tons of food that are wasted annually, 40% is lost before it reaches consumers. The other 60% is due to spoilage, over-cooking, plate waste, and over-purchasing
  • The population is expected to increase to 9 billion by 2050, which would require an additional 1 billion tons of cereal and grain products, and 200 million tons of livestock products
  • The Global Material Footprint has increased by roughly 70% in less than 20 years, from 54 billion tons in 2000 to over 90 billion tons in 2017
  • In the last 100 years, emissions have increased by more than 600%, twice the rate of population growth
  • Global coal consumption has nearly doubled in the last 20 years, and has tripled in China and India
  • Electronic Waste has risen by nearly 40% in the last 10 years, from 5.3 kg per capita to 7.3 kg per capita. In 11 countries, that rate is more than 20 kg per capita. In that same period, recycling rates have only increased by 2 percentage points

How can we contribute to responsible and sustainable consumption and production?

Unlike many of the goals to this point, there are many things we can do in our homes on a daily basis to contribute to a more sustainable consumption and production model. Collectively, if we are able to consume more responsibly, production will follow suit. Here are some things we can all do to help.

  • Donate gently used clothes or other items you are not using
  • Volunteer for clean-up events in your town
  • Buy irregular fruits and vegetables so they don’t get wasted
  • Partner with local restaurants and hotels to donate leftovers to shelters and charities instead of getting thrown away
  • Reduce, reuse, recycle!
  • Buy sustainable products whenever possible
  • Reduce water usage by taking shorter showers and turning the faucet off when not in active use
  • Drink tap water or filtered tap water rather than purchasing bottled water
  • Change all of your delivery preferences to e-mail only where possible to cut down on paper waste
  • Use power strips and turn them off when not in use
  • Turn off lights when leave the room (or while you’re in the room if they’re not necessary)
  • Eat less meat, poultry, and fish
  • Freeze produce and leftovers if you aren’t able to eat them before they spoil
  • Start composting at home
  • Buy minimally packaged goods whenever possible
  • Shop smarter by meal planning and limiting unnecessary food purchases. Also bring re-usable shopping bags with you when you shop

These are just a handful of examples, but there are countless things that each of us can do in our daily lives to cut down on waste and to become more responsible consumers.

Thank you for another great month, and keep an eye on our blog for the February Goal Announcement!