Sustainable resource use

Worldwide material consumption reached 92 billion tons in 2017, up more than 250 percent from 27 billion in 1970. The rate of natural resource extraction has accelerated every year since 2000. Per capita use has also increased; in 1990 each person used approximately 8 tons of natural resources, while in 2015 almost 12 tons of resources were extracted per person. Urgent action is needed to reduce waste and encourage mainstream sustainability practices across all sectors of the economy. Corporations can lead in several ways, including by reducing direct extraction of natural resources (if they are in a natural resource industry), reducing internal waste (both waste they produce directly through operations, such as industrial waste, and waste created by physical footprint and employees), engaging with supply chain partners on waste, and making public commitments to responsible use of natural resources (and then transparently reporting on progress)