Abstract:

In recent decades, with the increasing prominence of Sustainable Consumption and

Production (SCP) as an imperative for sustainable development, the Republic of

India has made strides for the inclusion of SCP in national public governance.

Equally, the country has built upon intrinsic traditions in its shift towards greater

resource efficiency, applying these into recent policies for cleaner production and

more climate resilient development. This background paper’s goal is to review India’s

inclusion of SCP in national public governance as well as the status of SCP and

resource efficiency in India today, focusing on key national, state, and industrial

sector achievements. The paper reviews how increases in household disposal

income and the size of the middle-class population have led to greater purchases of

transport goods and other changes in consumption. As the environment and

questions of managing resource scarcity have entered centre stage in global

development policy, SCP has followed suit. There is recognition through these global

processes that SCP is a transversal topic that must equally be mainstreamed across

national planning and policy. This paper shows that greater focus is needed on

bringing the resource efficiency to key sectors facing scarcity, such as through

increased water efficiency in agricultural production.

2016

Current Trends on Sustainable Consumption and Production and Resource Efficiency in India EU SWITCH-Asia Programme Regional Policy Support Component United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Background Paper

Sara Castro-Hallgren, UNEP

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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Table of Contents:

I. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3

II. SCP Policy Review of India .......................................................................................... 5

III. Resource Efficiency Trends in Asia and India:

The Importance of Measurement ............................................................................. 9

Regional Resource Efficiency Trends ............................................................................ 9

India’s Resource Efficiency Progress – A priority on water efficiency needed..........10

Integrating Economic and Population Indicators into Resource Efficiency ...............15

IV. Integrating SCP into National to Local Public Governance in India .....................18

V. Target Groups for the Transformative Power of SCP – Women, Youth, and

MSMEs ......................................................................................................................21

VI. Conclusion ...............................................................................................................22

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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I. Introduction

In recent decades, with the increasing prominence of Sustainable Consumption and

Production (SCP) as an imperative for sustainable development, the Republic of India has

made strides for the inclusion of SCP in national governance. Equally, the country has built

upon intrinsic traditions towards resource efficiency, applying these into recent policies for

cleaner production and climate resilient development.

Sustainable consumption combined with sustainable production (SCP) has been present on

global development agendas for decades. Since the United Nations Conference on

Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 (The Earth Summit), there has

been an international recognition that the major cause of the continued deterioration of the

global environment is unsustainable patterns of consumption and production.

In 2012, recognizing the importance of shifting to more sustainable patterns of and policies

for consumption and production, at Rio+20, Heads of State strengthened their commitment to

accelerate the shift towards Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) with the

adoption of the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption

and Production (10YFP), in paragraph 226 of the Rio+20 Outcome Document “The Future

we Want”.

Today, United Nations member states, including India, have adopted the 2030 Agenda for

Sustainable Development. Comprised of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and

169 targets1, the 2030 Agenda features SCP as a standalone Sustainable Development Goal

(12) to “Ensure Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns”. SCP is also linked to

multiple targets across 13 of the 17 goals, showcasing the interlinkages and

interdependence of the SDGs themselves.2 For example, SDG 8’s target 8.4 states: “Improve

progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and

endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance

with the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and

production, with developed countries taking the lead.” 3 With the transversal inclusion of

SCP in the Sustainable Development Goals it is expected that support for SCP’s inclusion

across national governance in areas of economic, industrialization, trade, consumer health

policies will increase.

Today, as the global development agenda transitions to new global goals, SCP policies can

enable sustainable development and low-carbon green growth, especially in Asia. The

region’s position has notably contributed to achieving global support for SCP in the SDGs.

The regional voice has been integrated into the 2030 Agenda as per the process and

outcomes of the UN-ESCAP Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development, along with the

1 United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12 and a range of targets, under 12 other SDG goals, embody the

importance of a shift to SCP patterns. Online at: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/owg.html 2 “SCP is reflected as a crosscutting enabler (in the form of both targets and means of implementation) for the achievement of

many of the SDGs as well as in a stand-alone goal 12 on ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns". UNEP

(10YFP Secretariat), 2015. SCP Indicators for the Future SDGs Discussion paper – March 2015. Online at:

http://www.scpclearinghouse.org/d/the-clearinghouse/94-scp-indicators-for-the-future-sdgs-discussion-paper.html 3 UN-DESA, 2015. United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015. Online at:

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/summit

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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First Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of the Asia-Pacific in 2015.4 These

regional discussions have highlighted the importance of achieving sustainable development

and growth “in line with Planetary Boundaries”. In addition, the discussions highlighted the

policy progress countries have made in the region on national models for sustainable

development. Some of the national models and strategies highlighted in this process

included the sufficiency economy of Thailand; the “3R” (reduce, reuse, recycle) model of

Japan; China’s circular economy; the Gross National Happiness model of Bhutan, the Viet

Nam Green Growth Strategy, and Cambodia’s Green Growth Roadmap, among others.5

Asia’s input into the global process setting the 2030 Agenda echoed priorities of other

regions in terms of national ownership, addressing inequality and social justice measures,

including the private sector and civil society in policy development. In addition, Asia’s position

called for ensuring that the SDGs are integrated into centralized and comprehensive national

development strategies to reduce any duplication and strengthen governance. This latter

point is especially significant, as currently countries often face policy recommendations that

seem to suggest, separate national policy documents responding to either climate change,

green growth, SCP, circular economy, sustainable development and similar concepts. In

Asia, countries have especially taken national ownership and exerted their policy space to

integrate global development concepts such as SCP into existing national plans and

strategies, in a nationally determined manner.

This background paper’s goal is to review India’s inclusion of SCP in national public

governance as well as the status of SCP and resource efficiency in India today. The paper is

structured as follows. Section II reviews recent global to regional progress on SCP policy

agendas, section III is a policy review of SCP in India, section V details resource efficiency

trends in Asia and India, and section IV details the role of women, youth and MSMEs in SCP.

Section V concludes.

As the environment and questions of managing resource scarcity have entered centre stage

in global development policy, SCP has followed suit. There is recognition through these

global processes that SCP is a transversal topic that must equally be mainstreamed across

national planning and policy.

4 UNESCAP Report of the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development on its second session, 2015. Online at:

http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=E/ESCAP/FSD(2)/3

5 Ibid.

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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II. SCP Policy Review of India

SCP is a transversal and central element of the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable

Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and must be reflected in

national policies. The objective of SCP policymaking is to create resource efficient production

systems for sustainable goods and services (supply), coupled with shifts in consumption

patterns and consumer behaviour (demand) to achieve sustainable development, economic

growth and societal well-being. Recognising the importance of this transversal approach to

policymaking for SCP, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) provides SCP

policy support across regional, sub-regional and national policy agendas for the Asian region

and beyond.

In India, UNEP has been engaged in activities supporting policy advocacy for SCP

since 2006. The text box below summarizes these activities, which have been shaped

around national policy roundtables promoting the potential benefits and focus areas of SCP

in the country.

In addition to policy dialogue roundtables, there have been other SCP projects hosted in

the country through the European Union SWITCH-Asia programme and other United

Nations agencies, such as the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation

Box 1. Summary of the Three SCP National Roundtables Hosted in India (2006-2010) The First India Roundtable on SCP was held in Mumbai in September 2006, hosted in partnership

with the Ministry of Environment and Forests and UNEP, in collaboration with the non-governmental organization Society in Action Group (SAG). The meeting identified key SCP priority areas for the country: i) industrial production and energy utilization, ii) water resources and agriculture, iii) Waste management (e-waste), and iv) sustainable consumption policy tools including life cycle approach, consumer education and information, and sustainable procurement. Links: Meeting Report, including the Background Paper, and the Agenda (PDF - 623 KB) The Second India Roundtable (New Delhi, December 2007), also hosted by the Government of

India and supported by the European Commission and UNEP, built on the lessons learned from the previous meeting. It exchanged ideas and experiences on developing 'key sector' action plans in i) Water efficiency and its utilization, ii) Integrated waste management and iii) Creating awareness for sustainable goods. Key pilot activities and recommendations were developed for future action. Links: Background paper (PDF - 489 KB) Second Indian SCP Roundtable Report, 2007 (PDF - 1.5

MB) The Third India Roundtable on SCP took place on the 11 and 12 February 2010, in New Delhi.

The roundtable was hosted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and supported by the European Commission and UNEP. Over 60 stakeholders from government, academia, industry, civil society and donor community participated in this roundtable, which was inaugurated by the Joint Secretary (MoEF) Mr. Hem Pande. The Third India Roundtable was organized as a brainstorming session to: (i) re-visit the priority areas of the 2006 Roundtable: Energy - Production and Usage, Management of Waste: Urban Solid Waste, E-waste, Hazardous/bio-medical waste, Sustainable Water Management and Sustainability of Consumer Demand; (ii) take stock of the existing situation - practices, legislation, bottlenecks, obstacles; (iii) discuss and agree on measures necessary to improve SCP performance and (iv) prepare the Indian delegation to CSD 18. Links: Background paper (PDF - 738 KB) Third Indian SCP Roundtable Report, 2010 (PDF - 333

KB)

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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(UNIDO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).6 The European Union,

for example, has funded 11 projects in India, of an average of $2 million USD per project,

focusing on cleaner production and sustainable supply chains in the textile and leather

industry, fabricated metals industry, food & beverage industry, electrical equipment industry,

and the wood processing and trade industry.7 The projects have contributed to the various

policy achievements on SCP in India, including new policy standards for phasing out lead

paints with the Bureau of Indian Standards, as well as many more achievements in areas of

e-waste recycling and greener production practices. The projects stand as on the ground

cases for SCP achievements in India today, to scale up through broader policy and

programmes.

Complementing these policy and practice activities for SCP and resource efficiency, India

has made national policy advancements on SCP – namely through the inclusion of SCP in its

previous 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017). While a new development plan model is now

under construction, the previous 12th Five Year Plan denotes that “The issue of

environmental sustainability cannot be ignored. We need a growth process that is consistent

with protecting our environment.” and it lays out specific financial instruments

recommendations to ensure SCP – “economic instruments can help achieve sustainable

development through their influence on behavioural patterns leading to sustainable

consumption and production in the economy”. It also mentions other central concepts in SCP

and resource efficiency, such as energy efficiency, cleaner production, greening procurement

and more.

“‘Earth has enough resources to meet people’s needs, but will never have enough

to satisfy people's greed’. We must promote sustainable production processes and

also sustainable lifestyles across the globe. Habit and attitude are as much a part

of the solution as Technology and Finance. . It must be understood that poverty is

a big polluter; so is the extravagant way of life and a profligate pattern of

consumerism a grave threat to environment” - INDC by Government of India, 2015.

India has included SCP into other key recent policy documents, most notably, India’s

Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) to the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change COP15. The INDC denotes various targets and

commitments and highlights the national policy framework for tackling environmental and

sustainable growth challenges. It lays out priority areas in line with the current Government of

India (GoI), according to mitigation and adaption strategies.

The INDC’s Mitigation strategies focus on priorities such as: Clean and Efficient Energy in

industries, climate resilient urbanization, promoting waste to wealth conversion (a large

potential growth sector) and more. It also includes commitments for a “Safe, Smart And

Sustainable Green Transportation Network”, highlighting the country’s national policy

changes such as towards tighter vehicle fuel emission standards to improve air quality and

more. The INDC’s priority area on abatement of pollution also highlights some of its newest

policy achievements that will contribute to major national SCP challenges and contribute to a

circular economy, such as in areas of air quality and waste effluent treatment – these include

a new Fly Ash Utilisation Policy (for cleaner waste incineration plants), Zero Liquid Discharge

6 UNIDO projects on cleaner production topics in India can be found here: http://www.unido.org/en/where-we-

work/asiaandthepacific/selected-projects.html. UNDP projects on environmental aspects related to SCP can be found here

(over 35 projects): http://www.in.undp.org/content/dam/india/docs/UNDP%20Fact%20Sheet%20-%20MEFCC.pdf

7 The 11 SWITCH-Asia projects funded by the European Union can be viewed online at: http://bit.ly/2aWvxP6

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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(ZLD) standards for over 2000 industries to reduce water pollution and a new National Air

Quality Index (AQI). These policies complement new initiatives to ensure Sustainable

consumption and cleaner production for water resources, ensure a better quality of life and

wellbeing for many of India’s poorest and urban marginalized populations, such as the Clean

up the Ganga River programme to reinstate water quality for the renowned Ganges river.

The latter policies are also reflected in the INDC’s adaptation strategies, which focus on

agricultural areas and more efficient use of water in industry as well. Notably, a National

Bureau of Water Use Efficiency (NBWUE) has also been proposed for promoting and

regulating the efficient use of water. Most notably though, an education and consumer

information component is missing from the INDC, overlooking the importance of changing

consumer preferences (unsustainable consumption trends) in India and the contribution of

these growing numbers of the population move into middle-income status in the coming

years. The INDC does note that a ‘Give It Up’ Campaign was launched “to encourage

citizens to give up subsidy on cooking gas to meet the needs of the truly needy citizens,

thereby promote shift away from inefficient use of biomass in rural areas”.8

In addition to the inclusion of SCP in India’s Five Year Plan as highlighted above, the

following table summarises the key linkages amongst this National Policy Framework and

SCP topics (See Table 1). All UNEP activities on policy engagement in India going forward

will aim to contribute to the INDC and the achievement of the Sustainable Development

Goals, as well as other expressed national priorities and policies of the Government of India.

Table 1. National Policy Framework on Environment and Development for SCP (INDC,

2015)

Related Policy

Document

Description

Constitution of India,

Article 48-A

“The State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to

safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country”.

National Environment

Policy (NEP), 2006

Mentions unsustainable consumption. Focus on Cleaner Production through

Sections 5.2.8 Pollution Abatement & 5.4 Clean Technologies and

Innovation. Also focus on demand-side areas for Sustainable Consumption.

5.3.2 Environmental Management Systems, Ecolabeling and Certification –

ISO 14000 and Indian/Foreign Ecolabel implementation; 5.5 Environmental

Awareness, Education, and Information commitments to consumer

information and education. 5.8 Research and Development focus on

”technologies for environmental management and clean production”.

Affirms polluter pays principle.

National Action Plan

on Climate Change

(NAPCC) (2008-2017)

Details potential Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation priorities and

actions. Implemented through eight National Missions: National Solar

Mission, National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency, National Mission

on Sustainable Habitat (Energy efficiency in urbanization), National Water

Mission (20% improvement in water use efficiency), National Mission for

Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (Water supply protection), National

Mission for a “Green India” (afforest 33% of India), National Mission for

Sustainable Agriculture, National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for

8 Government of India, 2015. India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution: Working Towards Climate Justice.

Online at:

http://www4.unfccc.int/submissions/INDC/Published%20Documents/India/1/INDIA%20INDC%20TO%20UNFCCC.pdf

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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Climate Change (science and finance). Steered by Prime Minister’s Council

on Climate Change.

State Action Plan on

Climate Change

(SAPCC)

32 States and Union Territories have put in place policy to mainstream

climate change concerns into state plans.

Energy Conservation

Act

Efficient use of energy and energy conservation goals

National Policy for

Farmers

Sustainable development of agricultural sector (SCP goals and water

efficiency in sector) – sector is largest water consumer.

National Electricity

Policy (NEP)

/Integrated Energy

Policy (IEP).

Electricity for All: focus on universalizing access to electricity and promoting

renewable sources of energy

GoI Special New Policy Initiatives

Make in India – Zero

Effect, Zero Defect

(ZED)

Aims for reinvigorated Manufacturing sector, with commitment of “Zero

EFFECT, Zero defect,” for reducing manufacturing impacts on water

pollution, air quality, etc. INDC: “The Make in India campaign with ZED is a

policy initiative to rate Medium & Small Industries on quality control and

certification for energy efficiency, enhanced resources efficiency, pollution

control, use of renewable energy, waste management etc. using ZED

Maturity Assessment Model. The scheme launched in 2015, envisages

coverage of about 1 million medium and small enterprises.”

100 SMART Cities

Initiative and

Challenge

100 smart cities projects will start in India, embedding considerations for

cleaner production and sustainable lifestyles, among other SCP areas (e.g.

on 10YFP Sustainable Buildings and Construction). 20 city winners have

been announced.9

9 GoI will initially finance these first 20 cities as winners of the Smart cities challenge. India Smart Cities Challenge, 2016.

First Winners Of The Smart Cities Challenge Announced. Online at: http://smartcitieschallenge.in/recentnews/first-winners-

of-the-smart-cities-challenge-announced

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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Box 2. Asian trends in resource efficiency

On average, Asia and the Pacific needs 3 kilograms of materials to produce one dollar of GDP and this lags far behind of the rest of the world where on average only 1 kilogram is needed per dollar.

Developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region use five times as many natural resources per dollar of GDP (5kg/$) as the rest of the world and ten times more than industrialized countries (0.4kg/$) in the Asia-Pacific region, signaling the need for increased resource efficient technologies and production processes.

The regional averages mask wide ranges from a high of 17kg/$ in Mongolia or 12kg/$ in Lao PDR, down to 0.3kg/$ in Japan, with lower income countries most dependent on natural resources often having very low resource efficiency.

Regionally, demand for electricity, gas and transport fuel has increased more than fourfold between 1970 and 2010, influenced by the growing needs of a rapidly urbanising China, which accounts for 52% of Asian energy consumption.

On average, material efficiency has been improving in developing countries in Asia and the Pacific at a steady rate of 1.5% per year.

_________________________________

Source: UNEP, 2015. SWITCH-RPSC “Indicators for a Resource Efficient and Green Asia and the Pacific” 2015. Online at: http://greeninfo.asia/Publications/Indicator-for-a-RE(Low-resolution).pdf

III. Resource Efficiency Trends in Asia and India:

The Importance of Measurement

Regional Resource Efficiency Trends

Global policy agendas are changing to increasingly give central consideration to the

environment and natural resources constraints, embedding these within national growth and

development considerations. In the last five years, SCP’s specific inclusion in governance

and policy agendas in Asia has greatly advanced.

However, this progress in the policy arena has not yet reversed regional trends on rapidly

escalating natural resource use. While, many Asian countries can be touted as models of

rapid economic growth, this has come at a tremendous cost to the environment. With

recently acquired data, Asian resource efficiency trends can be more clearly mapped

especially in terms of implications on the environment, economic growth and human well-

being.

Box 1 details the recent trends in resource efficiency in Asia, however it should be noted that

the region has wide diversity in resource use patterns, population trends, and the

governance models that enable each country’s distinct path of development. India as a major

regional country should not be compared generally, but as this Background Paper aims to

do, the country deserves specific and contextualised attention in assessing its resource

efficiency trends and progress

Today, the Asia region consumes more than half of the world’s materials (e.g. fossil

fuels, metals, and minerals) with an annual growth rate in materials consumption of

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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five per cent.10 The high growth rate of material consumption equally matches the region’s

high Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rates. This correlation highlights the close link

between materials consumption and GDP growth in Asia, as well as the need for

“decoupling” this link through more resource efficient production systems and policies.11

Figure 1. Domestic Material (Natural Resources) Consumption in Asia-Pacific (1970-

2010)12

India’s Resource Efficiency Progress – A priority on water efficiency needed

UNEP’s 2015 research publication titled ‘Indicators for a Resource Efficient and Green Asia’

shows a trend in India towards “decoupling” resource use from GDP growth in a relative

sense. As figure 1 shows above, according to data collected over a thirty-year period (1970-

2010), India’s natural resources consumption is growing at a much smaller rate than certain

neighbouring countries, while GDP has continued to climb.

This new UNEP publication and its data assesses key topics for resource efficiency

measurement in an economy, by looking at indicators such as i) Overall material Intensity, ii)

Energy intensity measured by Total Primary Energy Supply, iii) Water intensity, and iv)

Greenhouse Gas Emissions intensity in the economy, among other areas. Indicators are

defined and measured per unit of GDP to calculate the intensity according to the national

economy, where the goal is to decrease the intensity in resources used for each USD of

GDP growth. For example, “Water intensity is defined per total water withdrawals per unit of

GDP and measured in litres per USD”.

10 UNEP, 2015. Indicators for a Resource Efficient and Green Asia and the Pacific. UNEP. Online at:

http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/content/411189/indicators-for-a-resource-efficient-and-green-asia-and-the-pacific/

11 Decoupling refers to uncoupling the correlation between economic activity from consumption and environmental impacts,

which is fundamental to future human well-being. There are different types of decoupling. More information online at:

http://www.unep.org/resourcepanel/Portals/50244/publications/Decoupling_Factsheet_English.pdf

12 UNEP, 2015. Indicators for a Resource Efficient and Green Asia and the Pacific.

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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The figure below shows the drop in water intensity for India, which is declining but

still considerably high when compared to global and industrialized averages of well

under 500 litres of water per $ of GDP. This would mean that greater focused should be

placed on increasing water efficiency of the agricultural sector in the country, as this is the

main sector responsible for water consumption in India. Investments in micro-drip irrigation

technologies and other methods could assist in increase water efficiency of the agricultural

sector.

Figure 2. Water Intensity for Asia-Pacific Developing Countries

(1970,1990, 2010)13

All UNEP data for India is available for download via the new UNEP LIVE Portal and

Annex 1 in this paper reviews the country profile for India as per the results of this UNEP

regional research.14 The data from measuring material footprint and material footprint per

capita can assist to assess key SDG targets and indicators on the sustainable management

and efficient use of natural resources such as the following SDG targets.

SDG Target 8.4: Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, with developed countries taking the lead

13 UNEP, 2015. Indicators for a Resource Efficient and Green Asia and the Pacific.

14 India Country Profile on UNEP LIVE Portal and country data and charts: http://uneplive.unep.org/country/index/IN#charts

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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SDG Target 12.2: By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources

One must assess the underlying trends causing shifts in resource efficiency and SCP

indicators in India. To assess these trends using indicators with more widely available data

new indices have also been developed. These indices also assess key areas related to SCP

more broadly than these resource efficiency measurements above. One such index is the

Environmental Performance Index (EPI) which covers 99% of the global population and 97%

of the global land area, ranking country performance in environmental health and

ecosystems.

The EPI provides data to benchmark country performance across nine high priority

environmental categories useful for SCP progress measurement, looking at human health

impacts, fisheries stocks, air quality, and more. 15 The Index is developed biennially by Yale

University, Columbia University and the World Economic Forum providing data for over 15

years now. The EPI ranks India high in key forestry related indicators, while other indicators

such as Air Quality show a lower ranking. The index assists in benchmarking progress

across other countries undergoing similar development paths and urbanization rates, with

data openly and publically accessible as metadata.

Figure 3. India’s National Profile under the Environmental Performance Index

15 Hsu, A. et al. (2016). 2016 Environmental Performance Index. New Haven, CT: Yale University. Available:

http://epi.yale.edu/reports/2016-report Policymakers summary available at: http://epi.yale.edu/downloads

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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In March 2013, the United Nations member states officially released key indicators to

assess SCP and resource efficiency under the Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs), as shown in Table 2. The United Nations Statistical Commission’s Interagency

and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs) agreed on 230 individual indicators to

monitor the 17 goals and 169 targets of the SDGs.

Table 2. Indicators for SDG 12: Ensure SCP patterns16 12.1 Implement the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on

Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns, all countries

taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking

into account the development and capabilities of developing

countries

12.1.1 Number of countries with sustainable consumption and production (SCP) national action plans or SCP mainstreamed as a priority or target into national policies

12.2 By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient

use of natural resources

12.2.1 Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP 12.2.2 Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP

12.3 By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail

and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production

and supply chains, including postharvest losses

12.3.1 Global food loss index

12.4 By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management

of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in

accordance with agreed international frameworks, and

significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to

minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the

environment

12.4.1 Number of parties to international multilateral environmental agreements on hazardous and other chemicals and waste that meet their commitments and obligations in transmitting information as required by each relevant agreement 12.4.2* Hazardous waste generated per capita and proportion of hazardous waste treated, by type of treatment

12.5 By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through

prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse

12.5.1 National recycling rate, tons of material recycled

12.6 Encourage companies, especially large and transnational

companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate

sustainability information into their reporting cycle

12.6.1 Number of companies publishing sustainability reports

12.7 Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable,

in accordance with national policies and priorities

12.7.1 Number of countries implementing sustainable public procurement policies and action plans

12.8 By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant

information and awareness for sustainable development and

lifestyles in harmony with nature

12.8.1 Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development (including climate change education) are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment

12.a Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific

and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable

patterns of consumption and production

12.a.1 Amount of support to developing

countries on research and development

for sustainable consumption and

production and environmentally sound

technologies

16 UNStats, 2015. Report of the United Nations Statistical Commission to the UNGA. Online at:

http://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/47th-session/documents/2016-2-IAEG-SDGs-E.pdf

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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12.b Develop and implement tools to monitor

sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that

creates jobs and promotes local culture and products

12.b.1 Number of sustainable tourism strategies or policies and implemented action plans with agreed monitoring and evaluation tools

12.c Rationalize inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage

wasteful consumption by removing market distortions, in

accordance with national circumstances, including by

restructuring taxation and phasing out

those harmful subsidies, where they exist, to reflect their

environmental impacts, taking fully into account the specific

needs and conditions of developing countries and minimizing the

possible adverse impacts on their development in a manner that

protects the poor and the affected communities

12.c.1 Amount of fossil-fuel subsidies per unit of GDP (production and consumption) and as a proportion of total national expenditure on fossil fuels

* Indicators marked with an asterisk (*) are still being reviewed by the members of the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on

Sustainable Development Goal Indicators. Any agreed modification to the current wording of these indicators will be presented

in a background document for the consideration of the Statistical Commission at its forty-seventh session in February 2016.

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

15

Integrating Economic and Population Indicators into Resource Efficiency

In addition to the environment, health and resource indicators reviewed, there are

other core economic and demographic trends that deeply affect SCP in a country. In

the case of India these indicators and trends relate to population growth, poverty and

the growth of the middle-income consumer. Sustainable Consumption, which focuses on

demand in an economy, cannot be tackled without factoring in these demographic and

economic indicators. Figure 4 below depicts the trends in both household income and

population growth for India.

Currently, India’s population is 1,233 billion people, but looking at the distribution one can

see that almost half of this amount is age 19 and younger. Comparing the population trends

with national income distribution also shows that the future trends will likely retain the

majority of the working age population in the lower income quintiles. With more distributive

income growth in the economy however, a greater number of households can enter the

higher income quintiles, signaling greater consumption pressures to come with economic

growth.

Figure 4. Comparison of India’s Household Income and Population Distribution (2014)17

Data Sources: Income Data - World Bank - World Development Indicators Data, 2015. Population – UN-DESA, 2015.

While consumption (measured by government, business and household expenditures) is

integral to calculating GDP, important factors such as the environment and quality of life are

not included. As the environment and societal well-being will be adversely affected by the

current unsustainable trends of consumption and production, a new or revised measure of

GDP is needed.

As India successfully continues on its development path, the disposable income of consumer

households will also increase.18 Consumer preferences will change as a greater number of

17 Data sourced from World Bank World Development Indicators and UN-DESA. Online

at: http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.DST.05TH.20 and http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

16

households increase their purchasing power. In most cases, economies denote this trend as

a successful indicator of economic growth and development. However, with increases in

consumption also come increasing amounts of waste generation, and other considerations

that could be addressed through SCP policies, embedding circular economy concepts or life

cycle approaches as well.

Current household expenditure trends from the Reserve Bank of India’s time-series data on

expenditure show that as the has economy has grown, expenditures have risen most sharply

for transport and communications (e.g. automobiles and mobile phones), food, as well as a

sharp rise for other personal care goods and services.

Figure 5. India’s Household Consumption Expenditure Trends (Year 2000-2012)

Data Source: Reserve Bank of India Data, 2014

A last trend to factor into sustainable consumption strategies and policies for the country is

urbanization and rural to urban migration rates. It is expected that the urban population

will increase from 30% currently to 40% by 2030. According to India’s INDC, as population

expands and incomes grow, this shift will likely be realized alongside demographic changes

that will exponentially increase the demand for urban amenities like housing, energy,

18 “A shift towards greater discretionary spending as a result of rising income has been recorded in India. For

example, food and beverages accounted for 56% of all expenses in the average household in 1990, but this share

had dropped to 42% in 2005 and is expected to drop further to 34–25% by 2015 and 2025, respectively.”

Alejandro Guarín & Peter Knorringa (2014) New Middle-Class Consumers in

Rising Powers: Responsible Consumption and Priva te Standards, Oxford Development Studies, 42:2,

196-216, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13600818.2013.864757

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

17

transport, water, and waste disposal. This echoes current trends that indicate a future

increase in environmental pressures due to waste management challenges, transport

impacts, a need for energy and water and resource efficient technologies. These trends point

to the need for greater resource-efficient behaviours and practices among the three key

consumption actors - government, businesses, and households – which will all need to

adopt energy efficient, water efficient and recycling/reuse behaviours as the economy grows.

A comprehensive SCP policy framework or action plan can assist in aggregating existing

data, trends, policies and programmes into one strategy to manage environmental pressures

and ensure sustainable development for all in India.

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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IV. Integrating SCP into National to Local Public

Governance in India

Asia is experiencing regional trends that necessitate a focus on SCP and green growth

concepts transversally in public governance. Today, in an increasing number of Asian

countries, including India, one can see the inclusion of SCP concepts in national planning

documents to achieve SCP mainstreaming in governance and prioritize sustainable growth

paths. This will only increase with the priority the SDGs have placed on SCP as a standalone

goal and its transversal links as well.

To achieve these national goals, effective national to local implementation and

enforcement of polices that can effectively change behaviours and social norms will

be key going forward. Equally of importance will be how to measure progress of national

changes in behaviour and purchasing patterns in line with the SDG indicators proposed for

Goal 12 on SCP. Investments will need to be made to change the consumption or demand-

side of the equation, through education programmes and more behaviourally informed

policies.

Table 2. Mainstreaming SCP in National Development Plans in India and

Regional Countries

Country Key National Plan’s Inclusion of SCP

India Previous 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017) denotes that “The issue of environmental

sustainability cannot be ignored. We need a growth process that is consistent with protecting

our environment.” and it lays out specific financial instruments recommendations to ensure

SCP – “economic instruments can help achieve sustainable development through their

influence on behavioural patterns leading to sustainable consumption and production in

the economy”. It also mentions other central concepts in SCP and resource efficiency, such as

energy efficiency, cleaner production, greening procurement and more.

Mongolia Mongolia’s Comprehensive National Development Strategy up to 2021 includes

environmental commitments. UNEP is also engaged with Mongolia to provide Green Economy

and SCP technical policy support on SCP topics such as Sustainable Public Procurement and

eco-labelling. Currently, the public procurement legislation is being reviewed with SPP to be

enacted in 2016.

Sri Lanka National Action Plan for the Haritha (Green) Lanka Programme (2009-2016) was

developed through a high level participatory process was intended to ensure that sustainability

would not just remain a concept but would translate into practical reality. The Mission 10 area

of the Plan titled “Knowledge for Right Choices” focuses explicitly on SCP by key strategies

and actions for behavioral change among youth, women, and more. The Plan also details

specific Key Performance Indicators, baselines and details responsible government institutions

for each strategy and action area. For example, key strategies focus on “6. Promote behavioral

changes amongst youth towards sustainable production and consumption.” “7. Promote

women to become change agents towards sustainable production and consumption practices.”

“8. Promote sustainable production & consumption practices amongst the general public.”

Vietnam Viet Nam’s Sustainable Development Strategy from 2011-2020 specifically focuses on

SCP. It aims “To develop a civilized, harmonious and environmentally-friendly consumption

culture. Gradually implement eco-label and green shopping. Develop an eco-product market

and community-based initiatives for sustainable production and consumption. Apply policies to

correct unreasonable consumption behavior.” It also focuses on efficient energy and water

consumption. The National Strategy on Green Growth (promulgated in 2012), also has

strategic tasks focused on “greening production”, “greening lifestyle” and “promoting

sustainable consumption”. In addition, a new National Action Plan for Green Growth (2014-

2020) specifically mentions sustainable consumption and cleaner production, complementing

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

19

other plans for SCP (e.g. 2009 National Strategy on Cleaner Production in Industry Sector).

Thailand The Eleventh National Economic and Social Development Plan (2012-2016): The plan

consists of 8 development strategies and their respective implementation plans. SCP is clearly

mentioned throughout the Plan. Chapter 8 details focus areas such as “3.2 A lifestyle that

follows the Philosophy of Economic Sufficiency, the Thai way of life, and awareness of the

benefits and values of natural resources and the environment” with clear Objectives and

Targets for SCP and resource efficiency to be achieved such as 4.1.2 To promote production

and consumption that is environmentally sound in order to redirect the country toward a low

carbon emission society.

Cambodia National Policy and Strategic Plan for Green Growth (2013-2030): The policy and plan

were developed with the aim to establish the economy with consideration for environment and

natural resources sustainability. The national policy targets a balance between economic

development and environmental protection, culture preservation, social stability and

sustainable consumption of natural resources to improve people’s living conditions and

welfare. Meanwhile, the plan aims at developing a green economy by the effective use of

natural resources, environmental sustainability, green jobs, green technologies, green finance,

green credit, and green investment

India has policy priorities in its 2006 National Environment Policy focusing on education,

awareness raising and other behavioural changes to achieve sustainable consumption and

sustainable lifestyles. However, there are many other policy priorities as well. Given the

decentralised nature of public governance in India, with 29 states and seven Union

territories, policy implementation and assessment of its effectiveness is a challenge.

State level advances towards SCP and resource efficiency are clearly taking place in

addition to national achievements and priorities. Recently, the Indian State of Sikkim

declared itself as the first fully organic agricultural state in India, spurred by India’s National

Programme on Organic Production (NPOP). Policy reports note that the State conversion

and prioritisation of organic farming began in 2003 and that about 75,000 hectares of land

are now converted into certified organic farms following the guidelines as prescribed by

NPOP.19 Further, the conversion to organic farming has shown to reduce water pollution,

increase biodiversity protection and other benefits with states such as Kerala, Mizoram and

Arunachal Pradesh also soon following suit. States have imposed bans on products and

chemicals such as polythene (e.g. plastic bags) adopting prevention measures to

immediately reduce and phase out single-use plastic consumption.20 This aims to ensure

immediate demand-side management as opposed to clean-up and waste disposal measures

for plastics.

Municipalities have echoed similar changes with observed bans in cities such as Delhi and

other key environmental actions, while will continue to be supported by the new 100 SMART

Cities challenge and initiative as well.

At both State and Municipal levels however, priorities will need to be placed on capacity

development of decision-makers and community leaders. States and municipal governance

also necessitates adequate financial resources for implementation, increased technology

hubs for decentralised innovation in areas such as water efficiency and greater cooperation

with local private sector and civil society for SCP. In addition, priorities will need to be placed

on national to local coordination and knowledge management to ensure national overview of

19 India Today, 2016. Sikkim becomes the first fully organic state of India. Online at.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sikkim-becomes-the-first-fully-organic-state-of-india/1/573654.html

20 Government of India, 2016. Imposition of ban on use of Plastic Carry Bags/Cups/Plates and allied items in Chandigarh.

Online at: https://mygov.in/group-issue/give-suggestions-imposition-ban-use-plastic-carry-bagscupsplates-and-allied-items/

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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progress on policy implementation at state and local levels. It is clear that local achievement

on the SDGs will necessitate many factors, thus national to local governance will be a key

effort to ensure SDG targets are reached.

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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V. Target Groups for the Transformative Power of

SCP – Women, Youth, and MSMEs

This paper highlights three target groups that can “enable” and replicate SCP shifts at a

grand scale in a country such as India: women, youth and MSMEs.

Women are a key consumer and producer group in India’s economy. Women comprise

48.5% of the population, and in states such as Kerala this increases to 52%.21

Women are also closing the higher education gap, with over 40% enrolled for higher

education degrees.22 Yet, in terms of formal labour force participation, women are only 14%

of the formal urban workforce and 25% of the rural workforce. This shows that women are

becoming highly educated, which will most likely also bring higher income returns and enable

their consumption power in the economy for decades to come. Women should become a

special component of a national SCP strategy in India, seeking to enable women as green

entrepreneurs and as sustainable consumers and producers.

Youth are another key consumer and producer group in India’s economy, which are often

not included into national sustainable consumption and production policy studies. India’s

median age is 27.3 years and youth are about 30% of the population. Youth are the

consumers of today and especially of the future. They can be a special target of a national

strategy, as they may also lead green businesses and sustainability priorities in the future.

They can also be key catalysts for behavioural change, education and awareness raising –

where messaging can be delivered through national curricula and formal/non-formal

education.

Lastly, Micro, Small and Medium-Enterprises (MSMEs) should be a key target group of

India’s national strategic SCP policymaking. As with most economies, developed and

developing, MSMEs are the largest contributors to GDP. In India, MSMEs number in the

millions - 48,846,000 (488.46 Lakh) according to the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium

Enterprises’ latest annual report.23 While the number, capacity, and sectoral range of MSMEs

is vast in developing countries, these businesses reach out to the majority of populations

from urban to rural areas, delivering and servicing all consumers in an economy. They are a

key final conduit to consumers and phasing out harmful products such as lead paints use,

toxic food additives and more in the distribution and value chains cannot exclude MSMEs.

They also play a key, enabling role in transitioning to energy efficiency, water efficiency and

other SCP priorities. Lastly, they can set the example for communities to go green and also

provide employment and income generation as new renewable and green industries are

started in India’s transition to a resource efficient economy and industries.

21 Catalyst, 2015. Women in the Indian Labor Fource Piece. Online at: http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/women-indian-

labour-force

22 Ibid.

23 Ministry of MSMEs Annual Report (2014-2015) Online at:

http://msme.gov.in/WriteReadData/DocumentFile/MSME%20ANNUAL%20REPORT%202014-15_English.pdf

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

22

VI. Conclusion

In summary, this background paper shows that India is on a trend towards relative

decoupling in its use of natural resources amid concurrent economic growth. However, the

country is still experiencing water inefficiencies, especially in its agricultural sector, which

given observed resource scarcities in water supply, would necessitate a focus on water

efficiency technologies and practices among all users of water resources – agricultural

producers, industry, and consumer households.

The realisation of sustainable consumption and production practices in managing key

resources such as water will ensure the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals as

well, such as SDG 6 on water and SDG 8. This, like other SCP priorities, highlights the

crosscutting importance of resource efficiency and SCP across this interdependent 2030

Agenda for Sustainable Development. India is making strides in its public governance

towards achieving the 2030 Agenda. These achievements can especially be observed at

state levels, where the country’s 29 states and territories are key actors in driving tangible

implementation of the 2030 Agenda across this vast nation. Cities and municipal actors will

also play a crucial role in making practical advances in ensuring more sustainable

consumption and production patterns locally.

However, the country is also in a special position to leverage key actors such as women,

youth and SMEs in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. To achieve

the key behavioural changes needed for SCP, women and India’s growing youth population

can play crucial roles in leading more sustainable patterns of consumption. For more

sustainable production, a main focus should be placed on green SMEs and the potential of

these more complex and numerous businesses to drive more SCP and resource efficiency

patterns, especially through financial or other incentives based policies.

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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Annex 1: Summary Country Profile of SCP according to UNEP 2015 Publication

Indicators for a Resource Efficient and Green Asia.

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

24

Annex 2. SCP and Resource Efficiency Policy Advancements in South Asia

The South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP) is an environmental policy

body established in 1982 to guide the sub-regional policy agenda on environment in the eight

South Asian Countries.24 Following the November 2013 UNEP meetings on the Asia–Pacific

Roadmap of the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on SCP, SACEP’s Governing Council

issued a special decision on SCP.25 SACEP’s Decision 10.2.2 was formally adopted by

South Asian member states with the objective of promoting SCP within policymaking

mechanisms of the South Asian countries. As a follow up to implement the decision, in

February 2015, UNEP and SACEP organised a “Preparatory Meeting for the Establishment

of the South Asia Forum on SCP”.26 The preparatory meeting was convened by SACEP and

UNEP, serving as the 10YFP Secretariat and implementing organisation of the SWITCH-Asia

Regional Policy Support Component. The aim was to establish an annual policy platform,

replicating the ASEAN policy platform for SCP. In addition, the platform aims to build

knowledge and networks for South Asian policy makers and stakeholders on how SCP

policies can support sustainable development in South Asia and its expanding consumer and

producer base.

South Asia, home to a quarter of the world’s middle-class consumers, has experienced a

long period of robust economic growth, averaging 6 per cent over the past 20 years.27 This

strong growth has translated into declining poverty and sustainable development gains. In

addition, South Asia is a diverse region home to about 1.64 billion people (24% of the world’s

population) experiencing a demographic dividend. 28 While the sub-region is expected to

reach its population peak by 2030, continued economic progress, industrialization, and

growing consumption will place increased pressure on the environment, making the need to

shift towards resource efficiency an imperative for sustainable development.

Today, South Asian cooperation bodies like SACEP are taking steps to increase resource

efficiency and SCP in member countries. In line with its December 2013 governing council

decision, SACEP, and the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC),

proposed the establishment of a South Asia Forum on SCP to serve as a regional policy

platform convening annually. The South Asia Forum on SCP was formally approved by

South Asian countries in February 2015 with the following objectives:29

a. In the context of the Post-2015 Development Agenda, to provide a venue for

policy dialogue and collaboration on SCP national, sub-regional, and regional

strategies, planning, and implementation, increasing the profile of SCP in

national development planning and policymaking;

24 SACEP’s member countries include: Afghanistan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka. 25 The 2014-2015 10YFP Roadmap for the Asia-Pacific Region states the following as one of the agreed priority activities for

SCP in the region: “Establish a South-Asia Forum on SCP: Develop a roadmap for the establishment of the South Asia

Forum on SCP, organise a launching workshop and prepared a PoW for the Forum.” Page 20. Online at:

http://www.unep.org/10yfp/Activities/RegionalActivities/AsiaandthePacific/tabid/106473/Default.aspx) 26 This event will be followed by a Training on “The Rio+20 10-Year Framework of Programmes on SCP (10YFP) –

Building the knowledge of National Focal Points on SCP” to be held from the 27-28 February, in the same location. 27 World Bank. South Asia Overview, 2014. Online at: http://www.worldbank.org/en/region/sar/overview#1 28 The Future of South Asia: Population Dynamics, Economic Prospects, and Regional Coherence. Harvard University

PGDA Working Paper Series No. 68, Bloom & Rosenberg. Feb. 2011. Online at: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/program-on-

the-global-demography-of-aging/WorkingPapers/2011/PGDA_WP_68.pdf

29 SWITCH-Asia Summary Report of the - Preparatory Meeting for the Establishment of the South Asia Forum on

Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP), March 2015. Online at: http://www.switch-

asia.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/RPSC/policy-dialogue/2015-South-Asia/Report_UNEP-

SACEP_South_Asia_Forum_SCP_24Mar2015_Final.pdf

By Sara Castro-Hallgren, 10YFP/SWITCH-Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

25

b. To meet annually to assess progress towards SCP and resource efficiency in

South Asia, and propose policy priorities to address under the specific working

groups of the forum in line with an annual prioritization exercise;

c. To provide a venue for discussion on research and innovation for SCP that

can support tailored, effective policy design and actions to effectively embed

SCP in national and sub-regional governance;

d. To develop a South Asian resource pool and explore technical support

services for governments and other stakeholders at national and regional level

in a transition to SCP patterns; and

e. To encourage discussion on emerging issues on SCP, including the

development of links with SAARC and other regional bodies, to develop a

South Asian community of practice on SCP in policymaking.

The Forum will be launched by South Asian countries at the next SACEP Governing Council

meeting in 2016. Policy support has already started through sub-regional technical

cooperation activities. In addition, national policy support activities on resource efficiency and

SCP are underway in countries, which have expressed key interest, such as in Sri Lanka,

Bhutan, Nepal, and most recently India.