National SCP Blueprint ' The Pathways for Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) in Malaysia.

This National Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Blueprint is a nationwide multi-sectoral document aiming at giving directions on how the concept of gaining more through less can deliver green growth in the transactions of consuming and producing through reduced pollution and wastage of resources and it represents Malaysia’s answer to the recommendation of the United Nations for a national SCP framework. Furthermore, it places Malaysia in an excellent position to pursue the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) until 2030 which contain SCP as a core goal. The Policy is coherent with major national policies including the Eleventh Malaysia Plan 2016-2020. SCP has been defined by the national Eleventh Plans as a concept that promotes economic growth without compromising the environment or jeopardizing the needs of future generations. This means (i) efficient use of natural resources; (ii) minimizing the use of hazardous substances; and (iii) reducing pollution and waste over the life cycle of products and services considering the environmental impact.
The main goals of the proposed strategies are (i) mitigating climate change; (ii) creating a low carbon economy. An important tool to achieve the goal is inculcating behavioral changes at the following levels (i) Regulatory, (ii) Economic, (iii) Communication, education, and public awareness. The Policy outlines the following 10 pathways to achieve the goals by 2030 (1) Leading by example through government green procurement (GGP) to increase the demand for green products and services and to encourage industries to meet green requirements; (2) Transparency of SCP benefits for private households to spread sustainable consumption, in particular in the six consumption clusters housing, energy, water, food, waste, and mobility; (3) Develop SCP in industry to increase industry output from resources and energy input and to create inclusive supply chains; (4) Towards a circular economy waste system by managing holistically all types of waste with the life cycle approach extending beyond merely disposing of waste, also through improved legislation to achieve the ultimate goal of phasing out of landfills; (5) Energy-wise buildings that save in energy, reduce emissions, and gain financial wins through a coordinated approach; (6) Connecting people through low carbon mobility emphasizing that low carbon options are the more attractive and convenient alternative to the individual car; (7) Sustainable, safe and nutritious food; (8) Adding value to tourism through SCP by doing of Malaysia a sustainable tourism destination; (9) SCP communication, education and public awareness; and (10) Coordinating and monitoring SCP implementation.
Regarding the food sector, the document aims to secure a sufficient supply of food for all, as well as ensure that this food is efficiently produced, processed, distributed and consumed within the recommended dietary intake and with minimal wastage. To this target it is necessary (i) an highly productive farming through Good Agriculture Practices; (ii) cottage industry to reduce food mile through the proximity of home based industries to urban centers; (iii) modern urban farming to bring food closer to the cities; (iv) make consumers confident with food produced in Malaysia due to high quality standards, safety, and traceability; (v) aware and responsible consumers. Further interventions shall regard (i) introduction of mandatory standards for key food products to improve processing efficiency of energy, materials and water; (ii) strengthening of standards and mandatory requirements for labelling, packaging, storage and transportation to ensure safety, high quality and nutrition of food; (iii) promoting healthy diets; (iv) introduction of practices to improve food consumption at home.
As for Governance, the collaboration of all government stakeholders will be necessary to reach out consistently to the people and business communities. Since the main stakeholders are consumers and industries, the Government will guide them through appropriate regulatory, economic and informational frameworks to change behavior and to take advantageous actions over 10 pathways on the way forward until 2030. The Economic Planning Unit (EPU) will coordinate the process. Ministries and agencies will spearhead the distinct pathways. The full adoption of SCP will require time and a comprehensive shift of mindsets. Therefore, the SCP Blueprint has such a long-term planning horizon.