From Linear to Circular: Pathways for Sustainable Lifestyles

As countries around the world commit to more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to climate action, it has become increasingly important that policies deal with de-coupling economic growth and environmental degradation, and re-coupling growth with planetary and ecological sustenance. Towards this, SDG-12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) acts as the bedrock of strategies aimed at accomplishing the Sustainable Development Goals. This Policy Brief outlines pathways to nudge behaviour towards a Circular Economy approach and away from linear production and consumption. It is recommended that G20 should: (1) create partnerships and work with local communities to bring about consumer-directed behavioural shift towards zero-waste lifestyles; (2) work at arriving a standardised system for eco-labelling products and design for effective end-of-life utilisation; (3) create a platform for knowledge-sharing for stakeholders in the circular economy; and (4) create a financial mechanism for streamlining activities targeted at sustainable consumption and production.