The One Planet Network 2022: A Year in Review

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At the end of 2022, as the mandate of the 10YFP/One Planet Network was winding down, the General Assembly voted to renew it’s mandate until 2030. The world is ready for new solutions which change how we consume and produce, in ways which help the planet while helping people to live life better.

Since 2012, a great dedication and commitment has led to hundreds of projects, collaborations, and awareness-raising campaigns both among the general public but also in the halls of the highest levels of international discussions. In 2015, Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) was recognized with a specific Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 12), demonstrating the commitment of world leaders and policy makers across the globe to encouraging systematic changes in how we produce and consume. SCP has increasingly become recognized as the common thread running through the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

From a small Secretariat and intergovernmental Board, a number of programmes took root, breaking SCP down into more familiar pieces (Food Systems, Tourism, Buildings & Construction, Consumer Information, Procurement, Lifestyles). These multi-stakeholder programmes, which harness expertise from across hundreds of member organisations, as well as a vast network of National Focal Points, have been the bedrock of the One Planet Network, the stakeholder network implementing the 10YFP commitment.

The One Planet Network is proud to continue to lead global efforts which bring a common approach and focus around efforts to shift to more sustainable consumption and production patterns. In 2022, the One Planet Network has helped to set the stage in this regard, with the adoption of a Global Strategy for Sustainable Consumption and Production, providing a common north and ambition applicable for implementation across regions, sectors, and cultures.

The work is not done, the problems are not all solved. But we would like to take a few moments below, to look back on this active year, at how the One Planet Network has helped to show how we can live life better throughout 2022. While we will look at some of the major milestones, there are far too many projects, resources, collaborations and other tools and solutions developed by the Network to go into detail here. This community has grown to over 5000 organisations registered on our platform, including 1700 private sector organisations, 1000 civil society organisations and an additional 1000 from our government partners. Together they have provided information on nearly 7000 activities over the years, to paint a more comprehensive picture of the impact which SCP can have on our world and our lives. For a complete look across the vast breadth of what is being accomplished, please do take a look at our online platform.

The Secretariat of the One Planet Network would like to extend an enormous thank you and heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has spent their time, resources, and energy on this journey over the past weeks, months and years. As we look back on 2022, it is with immense humility that we acknowledge the importance of the ‘N’ of the OPN, that is to say this impressive and growing Network of individuals and organisations who continue to make a difference.?

UNEA: Changing How We Think, Act and Share about SCP: January - March 2022

2022 started by bringing together a diverse set of stakeholders to discuss the development of an ambitious global strategy for sustainable consumption and production. Whereas 2021 heard from countries through the 10YFP Board, National Focal Points, and Group of Friends, 2022 began with a series of consultations across the private sector, civil society, UN Agencies and more, representing the One Planet Programmes across a number of high-impact systems. These dialogues provided a critical, representative cross-section of ideas and inspirations to inform the strategy development.

Interested in those discussions? The full breakdown on the conversations around food systems, the built environment, and tourism give an in-depth look.

SCP at the UN Environment Assembly

In parallel, the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) was taking place from 28 February - 2 March. The One Planet Network was proud to organise an interactive dialogue on changing how we think, act and share about SCP (see the full recording below). The event was an opportunity to present two angles of how we can approach our consumption and production patterns - leaving no one behind and showcasing game changing solutions.

The UNEA concluded with a historic resolution to End Plastic Pollution, bringing together representatives from 175 nations. The One Planet Network was thrilled to see such an agreement, having worked extensively on the topic of plastics through the lens of sustainable consumption and production patterns. From a global mapping of plastic packaging claims, the campaigns that work when it comes to reducing plastic pollution, to recommendations for the tourism sector to take action on plastic pollution during the COVID-19 recovery, the One Planet Network has taken a holistic look across this extremely important topic. Much of this work across the network has been brought together throughout 2022, responding to a direct call to the Network at the previous UNEA-4 Conference.?

Across the programmes

The programmes kept quite busy as well through the first quarter of 2022. The Sustainable Tourism Programme brought international attention to their Global Tourism Plastics Initiative (GTPI) at the One Ocean Conference organized in France.

From the Sustainable Public Procurement programme, we saw some ambitious work around food procurement, culminating in ‘The Power of the Public Plate’, an engaging podcast series interviewing innovators from around the world. The podcast brought to life a series of concrete recommendations for procurers and policy makers.

Staying on the topic of food, the Sustainable Food Systems Programme released a groundbreaking report in March to try and find some answers to the following question: How can diverse food systems actors with different food-related agendas, from all stages of the value chain, come together in an inclusive way to collaborate in pursuit of sustainable food systems? One interesting avenue is Sustainable Food Systems Multi-Stakeholder Mechanisms.

At the same time, the Consumer Information Programme released an interactive toolkit that explains the links between consumption choices and biodiversity loss. Through reports, policy briefs, infographics, and much more, they have made quite a compelling case. This short video takes us through how unsustainable consumption threatens biodiversity:

Thousands Gather to Talk SCP at One Planet Network Forum: April - June 2022

The second quarter of 2022 continued the work towards the development of a global strategy for SCP, with consultations taking place across all programmes of the network throughout the months of April and May. The first draft of that strategy would be discussed with the 10YFP Board at the One Planet Network Forum in Stockholm, Sweden and virtually in the days leading up to the Stockholm+50 Conference. These two events provided the guiding focus of the network during this period.

The One Planet Network Forum

Attracting around 4,000 participants, with 75 speakers, 15 sessions, across 2 days, the One Planet Network Forum brought together diverse global stakeholders to accelerate and inspire action on SCP and SDG12. It was a true expression of the multi-stakeholder nature of the network, bringing together all of the OPN programmes, several UN bodies such as UNEP, UN-HABITAT, UNOPS, and UNWTO, regional representatives, and many more engaged actors from May 31st - June 1st to Stockholm and online. The objective? Kickstart the next phase of multilateral cooperation on SCP. Building on it’s multistakeholder nature, the OPN Forum was a platform to advance commitments to action in line with the forthcoming Global Strategy for SCP, but also to inform the upcoming Leadership Dialogues of the Stockholm+50 Conference.?

High-level plenary sessions providing the overall, ambitious vision for transformative change were interspersed with concrete, dynamic discussions on the topics near and dear to the One Planet Network. From Changing how we INFORM, to Changing how we DIGITALISE, or Changing how we MEASURE, catalytic dialogues dug into the real challenges and potential solutions for systemic changes across a number of systems. Speaking of those systems, sessions on Changing how we TRAVEL, Changing how we BUILD, and Appetites for Change: The Power of Food pointed to the huge leverage that these sectors have on our consumption and production patterns.

The Forum also served as a platform to launch some forward-thinking new partnerships. The Regional Science Partners for SCP, which bring in leading scientific institutions to support national governments and other stakeholders in the regions, provided an example of the science-based initiatives the One Planet Network is pursuing. Policy makers have limited time and limited resources, underscoring the imperative of having accurate information based on science in order to make decisions which will have a truly transformative impact.

The OPN Forum provided a multistakeholder platform to advance concrete commitments and put the spotlight on the innovative solutions which are already taking hold. From Switzerland to Cuba, from Thailand to Egypt and many more countries; from organisations as diverse as the UN World Tourism Organisation to Mastercard, the Forum showed the real power of such an expansive network to harness the kinds of expertise and ideas which can tip the balance towards sustainability in how we produce and consume. The inputs from across the two days of the Forum were integral to informing the development of the Global Strategy for Sustainable Consumption and Production, as well as a Manifesto for Sustainable Living which the Network is co-creating.

Regional consultations for Stockholm+50

The Global Opportunities for Sustainable Development Goals (GO4SDGs) initiative spearheaded an ambitious effort to coordinate a series of consultations on how to renew commitments and trigger action, leading up to the Stockholm+50 Conference. These consultations brought in around 2000 people from across the globe, to provide inputs towards key messages and inform the Leadership Dialogues at S+50.?

Bringing SCP to the highest levels in New York: July - September 2022

The High Level Political Forum took place from 5-15 July, under the theme “ Building back better from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ”. As the world was struggling to recover from COVID-19 amidst continuing crises, the HLPF reflected on how recovery policies can reverse the negative impacts of the pandemic on the SDGs and move countries on to a path to realize the vision of the 2030 Agenda.

As always the One Planet Network was present at the HLPF 2022, making the case for changing our consumption and production patterns as a necessary condition for moving towards these larger goals. Representatives of the OPN presented its annual report to Member States gathered at the prestigious forum.

The report provides insights to a number of critical questions: How is a system which fully embraces SCP approaches vital for building back better from the Covid-19 pandemic? Where does the world stand currenty on SCP? What are the most key, actionable recommendations on how to accelerate and advance SCP implementation globally?

The Global Strategy for SCP, whose development acted as a common thread throughout the year, was again submitted for broad consultation during the HLPF, convening individuals from around the globe.

When the Ministerial Declaration of the HLPF was released, it explicity recognised the importance of the extension by the General Assembly of the mandate of the 10YFP, noting the decision of the 10YFP to continue the development of a new strategy.

Several references in the declaration are very much in line with the direction the One Planet Network is taking. For example, regarding the agenda integration which the One Planet Network has been working on diligently, the Declaration emphasised the promotion of a “coherent approach to address biodiversity loss, climate change and land and ecosystem degradation…”. On food systems, the Declaration commits to ‘advance integrated, balanced and holistic food system approaches…’, a testament to the lasting imprint of the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, in which the One Planet Network Sustainable Food Systems programme played a key role.

Sustainable Tourism Programme and the UN Ocean Conference

The 2022 United Nations Ocean Conference concluded on July 1st with world leaders adopting an action-oriented Political Declaration to save the ocean from existing and future threats, including marine pollution, harmful fishing practices, biodiversity loss, and acidification.

More than 6500 participants took part in the discussions which led to the declaration. And the Sustainable Tourism Programme organised within its scope a side event focused on sustainable consumption and production as a key strategy to accelerate tourism ocean action. This kind of high-level exposure ensures that SCP is seen as a crucial element for addressing the health of all these important systems and sectors.

Consumer Information Global Conference

According to the 2021 Sustainable Market Share Index,? sustainability-marketed products are responsible for a third of the growth in consumer packaged goods (CPGs) from 2015 to 2021, and market share growth continues year over year.

In order to discuss with some of the key private sector stakeholders on these issues, the Consumer Information Programme of the One Planet network hosted the global conference ‘Turning information into action: Providing product sustainability information that changes consumption behavior’.

Together, participants created a shared vision of existing communication tools and strategies, and reflected on the barriers preventing businesses from providing realiable product sustainability information. If you missed it, you can catch all the discussions here.

A new alliance with GO4SDGs

In September the One Planet Network also entered into a strategic alliance with the UNEP-led GO4SDGs (Global Opportunities for Sustainable Development Goals) initiative. GO4SDGs works in 5 regions: (Asia and the Pacific, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean and West Asia) and is supporting over 30 countries. This strategic partnership strengthens the delivery of both workstreams through achieving stronger synergies, enhanced knowledge-sharing and increased capacity to deliver on our closely aligned mandate on sustainable consumption and production.

This partnership will enable the One Planet Network to more effectively accelerate the implementation of the Global Strategy on SCP on the regional level and accelerate the progress necessary to meet the 2030 Agenda, delivering with increased coherence and impact on SCP activities.

Adopting a Global Strategy for SCP: October - December 2022

Across the programmes

To begin the last quarter of the year, the One Planet Network put forward the food systems. Why? In addition to the fact that food systems are identified in the Global Strategy for SCP as one of the key levers for shifting how we use natural resources, October 2022 was also a month where the international community was turned in this direction. The International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste was followed up by the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), the leading forum in the UN System for reviewing policies related to food systems. The Sustainable Food Systems programme continued to be a leading advocate on the international stage for a holistic food systems approach, co-leading no less than five different events during this important forum. The programme also developed a strategic set of key messages to bring to leaders and inform the discussions of the Committee.

The Sustainable Tourism Programme also had an impactful month. At the 9th Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference, the programme organised a side event that presented practical tools for tourism businesses and highlighted the need for investing in the transition towards sustainable and resilient tourism and circularity by supporting actors across the entire tourism value chain. At the conclusion of the conference, the Ministerial Declaration called on Member States and other stakeholders to “consider joining and committing to actions under the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, which unites the tourism sector behind a common vision of circular economy of plastics and the Glasgow Declaration: A Commitment to a Decade of Tourism Climate Action”. In November, both initiatives were also included in a General Assembly Resolution. Thanks to the tremendous outreach and awareness-raising efforts, these two flagship initiatives of the Tourism Programme now have 142 and 744 signatories, respectively, committed to concrete, measurable actions.

The Sustainable Public Procurement Programme also published the 2022 Sustainable Public Procurement Global Review, providing important insight into the current state of sustainable procurement (SP) across national governments, private enterprise and intergovernmental organizations worldwide. This report aims to track global progress in sustainable procurement over the last five years, deepening our collective understanding of the current barriers, needs, opportunities and innovations in this important area.

Adopting a strategy for change

The month of October was also home to one of the most important milestones in the (now 10 year history!) of the 10YFP/One Planet Network. On October 18-19 the 10YFP Board met in Paris , along with several representatives of the Group of Friends for SCP and other key stakeholders including youth representatives. During this meeting they officially adopted the Global Strategy for Sustainable Consumption and Production

This milestone is not just the result of intense months of broad consultation, but also a reflection of years of cooperation which have built a multi-stakeholder network unique in it’s size and diversity of actors. The Strategy provides an ambitious roadmap that stakeholders from around the world can use to shape their actions and interventions to have a lasting and transformative impact on how we use natural resources through our consumption and production patterns.

?“I am honored to have been a part of the historic moment of the approval of the Global Strategy for SCP. Aligned along the central message of Changing How We Think, Act and Inspire sustainable consumption and production, I am very glad that the new Strategy brings about a new, more inclusive and accessible approach. Engaging stakeholders from public and private sectors, civil society and the youth in a meaningful way, the Strategy will contribute to addressing the triple planetary crisis through concrete and targeted action in four specific and measurable outcomes” H.E. Ambassador Giovanna Valverde, Ambassador of Costa Rica in Kenya and Permanent representative to UN Agencies, UNEP, and UN Habitat, Chair of the 10YFP Board

“Congratulations to the 10YFP Board and Secretariat on this important milestone, the approval of the Global Strategy for SCP. The smooth and constructive discussions, the excellent preparation and dedication of the team, all the effort and time invested have paid off and we can enter into the new era of sustainable consumption and production. The Global Strategy will provide the foundation to strengthen the SCP angle across initiatives and projects. We still have important milestones to meet towards operationalizing the Strategy ahead of us, but it is evident that we can count on the support of a very passionate Board to achieve them. I look forward to the results and impacts that this strategy aims to accelerate, measure and monitor across the SCP landscape.” Elisa Tonda, Chief, Resources and Markets Branch, Economy Division, UNEP

“I welcome the renewed support of the 10YFP Board that has today materialised in the approval of the Global Strategy for Sustainable Consumption and Production. This marks a new era for our work and helps us bring in closer our stakeholders, including Member States, public and private sector, NGOs and youth, as they increasingly engage in the One Planet Network and help us implement the change in how we Think about, Inspire and Act on SCP and circularity.” Jorge Laguna - Celis, Head of One Planet Network

New Initiative on Harnessing Digital Technologies

One new area of focus stemming from the Global Strategy is around digital technologies. With digital innovations sweeping across the planet at an unprecedented rate, this presents opportunities to harness the digital economy for sustainability. To that end, the One Planet Network launched a new digitalisation initiative, which will partner with digital technology, circular economy and consumption experts with thematic and sectoral expertise across the existing programmes of the Network and external alliances. A ‘Critical Path for Harnessing Digital Technologies for a Circular Economy’ will guide concrete interventions to effectively support the public and private sector.

Sustainable Consumption and Production & Climate Change

The adoption of the strategy, while extremely important, did not signal the end of the year for the One Planet Network. Rather it provided the needed reinforcement for bringing SCP into the multilateral international fora to close the year.

The 27th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP27) brought together leaders from around the world to design an agreement for moving forward in the fight against climate change. The freshly adopted Strategy of the One Planet Network places a huge importance on the centrality of SCP to tackle the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. And this is precisely the message the Network put forward at a high-level event featuring the Co-Chair of the 10YFP Board, H.E. Giovanna Valverde of Costa Rica. Check out the full dialogue below:

The One Planet Network also used the COP27 to demonstrate how the sectoral work of the OPN programmes fits squarely into discussions around climate change. Let’s take, for example, one event organised around the role of sustainable and healthy diets in combatting climate change, which was organised by our food systems partners. Or the Sustainable Tourism Programme, which organised a pair of events on polices and strategies, and the specific tools needed to scale up climate action in the tourism sector.

The One Planet Network has been encouraged in 2022 by the increased awareness during these international meetings on huge topics such as climate change, of the linkages and interdependancies with our production and consumption patterns.

Sustainable Consumption and Production & Biodiversity

Before the end of the year a conference on another very important and cross-cutting topic - Biodiversity loss - took place.The COP 15 in Montreal again brought together a coalition of actors from the One Planet Network to inform the discussions with the message that our consumption and production patterns are critical to preserving biodiversity.

The Consumer Information Programme took an active role in making the business case for nature friendly consumption. Staying on the role of business, the opening session of the Business and Biodiversity Forum was faciliated by Jorge Laguna-Celis, Head of One Planet Network. We also saw once again the strong presence from the sectoral actors of the Network, like the side event focusing on building nature positive foot systems through a lens which cuts across biodiversity, climate, land and health.

The One Planet Network was proud to play a role in this event which ended in a historic agreement to protect a third of the world’s biodiversity.

With that, a whirlwind year, full of accomplishments, challenges, and inspirations, came winding down to an end. The vast amount of tools and solutions produced by the Network couldn’t possibly fit in one newsletter, but each of the programmes has a dedicated hub on the One Planet Network platform where you can find the resources, the expertise, and the inspiration you need for anything SCP.

Sustainable Consumption and Production for People and Planet

Looking ahead, we would like to finish this recap as we started it, by thanking our countless partners across the globe for their tireless work. It is these organisations, institutions, associations, industry leaders, SMEs, and other partners who provide the backbone of this unique, multi-stakeholder Network. As the One Planet Network begins this new phase of implementation, we hope to be fortunate enough to grow this community together with those who have built the Network into what it already is today while engaging with new and potential partners from across the globe and different sectors or industries. So that we can, all together, contribute to tackling the triple planetary crisis and through sustainable consumption and production action help people live life better on this blue planet.

Wishing you all the best in 2023!

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