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Value-Chain Approach

Food Value Chain Consultations

 
The food sector was the focus of the first set of consultations series concentrating on innovative business and policy solutions, which was undertaken in April and May 2021 in the form of five expert workshops, each focusing on the prioritized stage of the food value-chain.
 
The objective was to understand what initiatives and solutions currently exist at different stages of the food value chain and to define gaps, opportunities, interlinkages, and trade-offs as the basis for the development of prioritised action for sustainable consumption and production.

Background

 

Strengthening the science-policy interface by adopting the value-chain approach to prioritise action is one of the key pillars in strengthening multilateral cooperation on Sustainable Consumption and Production.

The value-chain approach is a methodology for science-based policy action on sustainable consumption and production. Its purpose is to identify key points of intervention within economic systems to reduce natural-resource use and environmental impacts caused by production and consumption, and to define a common agenda for action.

Critically, the value-chain approach goes beyond an understanding of where resource use and environmental impacts occur, to understand why this is happening and what the key points of intervention are for science-based policy action.

Building on the findings of the joint task group of the International Resource Panel and the One Planet network presented in the report “Catalysing science-based policy action on sustainable consumption and production: the value-chain approach and its application to food, construction and textiles”, the next step is to collaboratively define a common agenda for action by continuing the application of the value-chain approach in the high-impact sectors of food, construction and plastics and thereby ensuring its scientific foundation.

While these sectors are prioritised based on UNEA 4 resolution and One Planet recommendations to the High-Level Political Forum, the future discussions will also consider how best to extend the uptake of the value-chain approach to other key sectors. 

Consultations by Value-Chain Stage