Advancing sustainable consumption: SDG 12, behavioural science, and the work of the United Nations

The United Nations (UN) is in a unique position to enact change on a global scale, with its efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) spanning policy areas as diverse as peacebuilding, ending poverty and hunger, climate action, and more sustainable patterns of consumption. This chapter explores the UN’s role in propagating the goals set by SDG 12, which focuses on responsible consumption and production. It further examines how insights from the field of behavioural science have and can be further leveraged to promote sustainable choices and overcome barriers to change. This chapter summarises a number of the achievements made by the UN in promoting sustainable consumption to date through the use of behavioural science principles, examines challenges faced, and outlines future directions.