EPHA response to the European Commission public consultation on sustainability agenda

 EPHA response to public consultation from DG Environment on Delivering More Sustainable Production and Consumption.

The main rationale behind participating in the consultation was the fact that sustainability is now recognised by the European Commission as a ‘European public good’ and should therefore be opened to scrutiny of people and civil society at large.

In addition, sustainable production and consumption – of products and services - is fundamental to the achievement of a sustainable development of the European Union as a whole. Using resources efficiently is also to contribute to the EU’s objectives on climate change, food and water security, social justice and fight against poverty, employment, public health, biodiversity and environment.

Key messages:

 greater synergies between sectors like EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), public procurement policy, energy efficiency and resource sufficiency, environment, transport, housing are one of the issues considered vital for a comprehensive sustainability agenda, through its potential for reducing health inequalities and preventing many persisting and emerging chronic diseases, physical inactivity, mental ill-health, fighting poverty and social exclusion, advancing gender equity as well as boosting local and regional economies;

 promotional information measures encouraging more sustainable production and consumption of products and services;

 improving products and changing consumption patterns;

 addressing markets and prices through shortening production-consumption link and food supply chain;

 ‘food-fit-for-consumption’ that would otherwise be thrown out could be redistributed to persons at-risk-of-food-poverty (as part of the EU Most Deprived Persons Scheme for instance);

 addressing health, social and environment-harmful production subsidies and getting the prices right will have to be adequately addressed.

EPHA related articles

 Unicef’s report on The State of the World’s Children 2012: Children in an Urban World

 ’Our food systems are making people sick’ states UN rapporteur

 EPHA Statement on the World Water Day 2012: “Access to water and sanitation is a human right, not an ordinary commodity”

 Commission’s analysis provides case for stronger EU climate action

 What public health priorities for the Energy Efficiency Directive Review

 Environmental health inequalities in Europe. WHO Europe Assessment report

 EPHA priorities for the 7th Environment Action Programme

 EPHA Briefing on Children’s Health

 European Charter for Health Equity - open for signatures through 2012