Getting smarter about how our stuff is made9 December 2011
Making everything we buy and use is putting our planet's life-support systems under dangerous strain.
Pressure on people and the planet
We use land to grow crops to make things like clothes and furniture. And we use up water on farming and keeping factories cool.
Competition over these resources is driving up prices for things like food and basic materials. This is already affecting millions of the world's poorest people.
Mining minerals and clearing forests to make products is also a major cause of climate change.
We're seeing ecosystems collapse and species die out as we plunder our planet's minerals and trees.
We can't go on using up limited natural resources at this rate.
What's the solution?
We need to use natural resources much more efficiently.
That means reducing the impact products have on the environment, from what goes into them to how they're produced and taken to market.
There are currently no requirements for companies to do this.
We think there should be.
A crucial first step is to to start counting the cost of the resources we use in Europe. People in the developed world consume up to 10 times more than those in the poorest countries.
We want the European Union to make sure the true cost of the things we buy is measured.
That means taking into account these key indicators:
- land use
- water use
- carbon footprint
- mined materials use
Once we understand the real impact we need tough policies to make sure companies who make products use smarter processes.
What you can do
Many individuals are already taking positive steps to reduce their own impact. You can check out our green lifestyle tips for inspiration and advice.
