The UN Industrial Development Organization launched its flagship report on industrial development in Beijing, China, at an event promoting awareness of the role of manufacturing in achieving sustainable development.
Participants at the event observed that consumer demand for green products is increasing in China, and environmental standards should be established to promote consumer trust.
The report argues that manufacturing can spark a "virtuous circle" of inclusive and sustainable industrial development as consumer preferences shift away from consumption that is damaging to the environment or society.
5 September 2018: The UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) launched the 2018 edition of its flagship report on industrial development, which argues that manufacturing can spark a “virtuous circle” of inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) as consumer preferences shift away from consumption that is damaging to the environment or society. The report was launched during an event on the role of manufacturing in achieving sustainable development.
The event in Beijing, China was co-organized with Beijing Normal University and the China office of UNIDO’s Green Industry Platform. Discussions highlighted China’s increasing consumer demand for green products, and called for environmental standards to promote consumer trust. The event followed on the report’s first launch in November 2017, at the 17th session of the UNIDO General Conference in Vienna, Austria.
UNIDO report titled, ‘Demand for Manufacturing: Driving Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development,’ finds that manufacturing has not declined in importance relative to other industrial sectors, contrary to some views. Rather, from a consumer perspective, the importance of manufacturing has grown as consumer goods have increased in variety and affordability. The report argues that a adopting a demand-side perspective on manufacturing offers insights into how industrial development can improve living standards and spark diversification in manufacturing. The authors highlight the potential for governments to harness the emerging shifts in patterns of consumer demand to promote sustainability and contribute toward achieving SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure). They note UNIDO’s advocacy on moving toward a circular economy, in which products are designed for durability, reuse and recyclability, and in which materials for new products come from old products.
UNIDO established a Green Industry Platform in 2014 in partnership with Beijing Normal University, to share experiences and best practices in the development of green industries. Speaking at the Beijing launch event, Cecilia Ugaz Estrada, UNIDO, emphasized that government policies can steer demand toward ISID. Guan Chenghua, Beijing Normal University, launched a report on the China Urban Green Competitiveness Index. [Publication: Industrial Development Report 2018: Demand for Manufacturing: Driving Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development] [UNIDO press release on Beijing event] [UNIDO press release on Vienna launch] [Report overview] [Report webpage]