ARSCP
Welcome to the online home of the African Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production (ARSCP).
Established as a regional institutional focal mechanism in the early 2000s, the ARSCP has a strategic emphasis on linking sustainable consumption and production (SCP) with the challenges of meeting basic needs more sustainably. It takes its que from the Ten-Year Framework Programme: The African 10-Year Framework Programme (10YFP), with particular focus on the following thematic areas:
Energy, water and sanitation
Habitat and sustainable urban development
Industrial development
The main objective of sustainable consumption and production is to promote social and economic development within the carrying capacity of ecosystems and the decoupling of economic growth from environmental degradation. ~ African Regional Roadmap for the 10-YFP on Sustainable Consumption and Production, 2014
Further reading
A 2009 SCP report prepared by the ARSCP with the guidance of UNEP and the Economic Commission for Africa, provides an overview of trends in production and consumption in Africa. The report, African Review Report on Sustainable Consumption, discusses progress and achievements, presents the status of SCP in Africa; identifies implementation challenges and constraints, as well as lessons learnt; and highlights the way forward, including policy measures and actions needed to accelerate implementation.
The 2014 African Regional Roadmap for the 10-YFP on Sustainable Consumption and Production elaborates on the priority activities as gleaned from the 10YFP.
These are:
- Enabling policy framework by, among others, mainstreaming SCP in planning and developing local SCP action plans, increasing synergies with green economy/growth strategies, mainstreaming SCP in regional strategies and strengthening the ARSCP secretariat.
- Greening businesses, by, among others, mainstreaming corporate environmental and social responsibility practices, applying resource-efficient and cleaner production methods in small and medium enterprises, and promoting sound chemical management.
- Waste management, looking at developing integrated solid waste management plans in urban areas and cities, and building capacity to address specific waste streams.
- Mobility, by promoting sustainable transport systems including infrastructure.
- Energy, by promoting renewable energy systems as well as energy-efficiency and demand-side management.
- Water, by improving efficiency in water use and ensuring the safe use of treated wastewater.