The drivers of and barriers to sustainability information

Insights into consumer and organisation purchasing behaviour indicate a growing interest in buying products that are considerate of the environment and/or social concerns (National Geographic and GlobeScan, 2012; Deloitte and GMA, 2009). At the level of largescale institutional purchasers, an increasing number of countries, local authorities, businesses and organisations are gradually embarking on sustainable procurement and translating their purchasing power into active sustainability policies. In 2010, Brazil enacted a federal law to make the promotion of SPP by all public entities mandatory (UNEP, 2013a), while Malaysia has set a target of 50% of select product and services procured by government agencies to be greener by the year 2020 (UNEP, 2013a). Having tools (discussed in the next chapter) that manage information on the sustainability of products can benefit not only producers, but also users of information who can determine how their choices affect sustainability.

Sustainable Development Goals:

Responsible Consumption and Production