UNEA-6 Side-event – Sustainable consumption for biodiversity: Unleashing the power of GBF targets 15 and 16

Background

The need to achieve transformational change for current consumption patterns to support the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity is highlighted by Targets 15 and 16 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (The Biodiversity Plan).

Target 15 aims for businesses to assess, disclose and reduce biodiversity-related risks and negative impacts. Target 16 aims for enabling sustainable consumption choices to reduce waste and overconsumption.

Target 15 holds an untapped power to drive the necessary transformation of businesses, particularly large and transnational companies and financial institutions, towards sustainability. This target addresses the core need to develop policies, legal frameworks, and administrative measures that enable businesses to drastically reduce their impact on biodiversity. By effectively implementing this target, we can shift towards an economic system that respects planetary boundaries, ensures a sustainable future for all, and promotes the responsible provision of goods and services.

Target 15 serves as a crucial stepping stone towards the realization of Target 16, paving the way for a sustainable system that empowers consumers from all walks of life to have and to make sustainable consumption choices. By taking legal, administrative, and policy measures to encourage and enable businesses, including large and transnational companies and financial institutions, to monitor, disclose, and reduce their impacts on biodiversity, we lay the foundation for a transformative shift in our consumption patterns. This means empowering consumers to make sustainable choices that align with their values and contribute to a more sustainable future. This enables us to collectively reduce the global footprint of consumption, ensuring that all people can live well in harmony with our planet.

Under the BioTrade Initiative, UNCTAD’s work focuses on collaborating with partners and other trade and biodiversity stakeholders to support the implementation of The Biodiversity Plan by promoting sustainable practices and trade in biodiversity-based products and services. 

Objectives

As an official side-event during the United Nations Environmental Assembly 6, this event aims to highlight the transformative potential of Targets 15 and 16 of The Biodiversity Plan. It will emphasize the urgent need for a shift towards sustainable consumption patterns to address the underlying drivers of biodiversity loss. The event will discuss the role of governments and businesses in providing information to consumers and enabling well-informed choices for more sustainable consumption.

The event will discuss the role of governments and businesses in providing information to consumers and enabling well-informed choices for more sustainable consumption.

Its main objectives are to:

1. Raise awareness of the link between consumption and its impact on biodiversity and ecosystem services. 
2. Discuss and present solutions for mitigating the impact of human activities on biodiversity and ecosystem services.

The event is structured around:

1. Existing and forthcoming tools, resources, and capacity-building opportunities;
2. Action in practice: case studies of government policies and business action on consumer information; and
3. Recommendations for effective implementation of GBF Targets 15 (b) and 16.

Speakers

• Martina Fleckenstein, Global Policy Director, Food, World Wide Food International
• Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, Director of Industry and Economy, United Nations Environment Programme
• Peter Andrews, Director - Sustainable Consumption for All, Consumer Rights, Innovation and Impact, Consumers International
• Bettina Hedden-Dunkhorst, Head of Division, BfN, Germany
• Harrison Ochieng Kojwang, Senior Affairs and Engagement Advisor, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) International
• Dr. Taye Teferi, Policy and partnership coordinator, Senior Reginal Director, TRAFFIC
• Jan Christian Polania Giese, Senior Project Manager, Adelphi