"Sustainable Consumption" is gaining ground as a societal issue and field of action for businesses. The focus on the use phase of products and services promises strategic advantages but, in many cases, calls for partnerships between actors of economy, politics and society. In the newly released publication (1.9 Mb) this inter-dependence is highlighted from a business point of view.

After an introduction to the field of sustainable consumption, five types of partnerships – each with four practical examples - are presented. They show the great diversity of opportunities for cooperation and illustrate the resultant advantages. The aim is to stimulate further forms of cooperation, leading towards sustainable consumption patterns.
The publication is the result of a series of workshops run by the German Global Compact Network (DGCN) and is, in itself, the product of a partnership. Together with the GDA (German Association of Aluminium Industry), the GTZ, Henkel and Volkswagen, the UNEP/Wuppertal Institute Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP) developed this practice-oriented handout.