ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 12: an exploratory study on sustainable consumption in Lima, Peru

Abstract

In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; a global action plan for people, planet, and prosperity. Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG12) aims to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. This research explored the attainability of SDG 12 in Lima-Peru through the lens of market-based, purpose-driven organizations. First, semi-structured in-depth interviews were held with founders of market-based, purpose-driven organizations in order to analyze their perspectives on the current state of sustainable consumption in Lima, Peru. Second, a comparative knowledge, attitude, and behavior survey was implemented to a group of followers of one of the market-based, purpose-driven organizations and a control group of non-followers of environmental organizations. Interview results show that the founders believe that they are actively contributing to achieving SDG12, but that even though sustainable consumption patterns are beginning to emerge in Lima, Peru, targets will unlikely be reached by 2030. Survey results showed that follower of the organizations had statistically different results for knowledge and behavior. They had a higher understanding of sustainability concept, actively informed themselves on environmental issues, and had adopted sustainable consumption habits. Study results show that market-based, purpose-driven organizations are actively contributing to the attainability of SDG 12 in Lima, Peru but also that challenges, primarily at the governance level, remain.