7th Annual Conference of the European Sustainable Development Network: issues of sustainable production and consumption

Sustainable production and consumption together constitute a decisive issue in implementing sustainable development policies at national and European levels. On the basis of national commitments made during meetings with civil society during the Grenelle Environment Forum, the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union intends to support a Sustainable Production and Consumption and Sustainable Industrial Policy Action Plan, that the European Commission is expected to adopt shortly.

It is within this context that the French Presidency will host the seventh conference of the European Sustainable Development Network (ESDN), an informal network of high-ranking civil servants and experts involved in EU sustainable development strategies, which meets every year. The aim of the conference is to exchange experience, knowledge and best practices on governance with regard to Corporate Social Responsibility, and to examine their respective links with the sustainable development strategies. Furthermore, workshops are organised so that network members can look more closely into the institutional means likely to foster more sustainable patterns of consumption and production.

The discussion will subsequently be broadened to take in civil society as a whole with the aim of continuing the debate which begun at the Grenelle Environment Forum, by focusing on two major products of mass consumption. The stakeholders concerned – such as consumers, industrialists, retailers, NGOs, trade unions, experts and public authorities – will exchange their views on specific ways to reduce our ecological footprint right along the chain, from production to consumption in two sectors: textiles and lighting. The life cycle of textile products have significant environmental and social impacts on society and the environment, while lighting consumes over 10% of world electricity output and discharges over 2,000 million tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The aim of the conference is thus to mobilise the relevant players in these two sectors and identify the margin for progress at their disposal.

• Updated: 17.12.2008

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