Accumulating environmental and climate pressures and impacts are bringing unprecedented sustainability challenges. These problems are largely caused by unsustainable consumption, and require a fundamental shift in production and consumption systems in Europe and beyond.

Pressures and impacts from consumption can be reduced by:

1. consuming differently by shifting to less material-intensive options and using renewable or recycled materials,
2. consuming less through, for example, longer product lifespans or sharing models that can reduce the demand for new products, and
3. scaling up circular product design that enables circular consumption and reduces environmental impact.