Christophe Yvetot, from the UN, talks about the importance of solidarity to achieve the SDGs.
ADVERTISINGThe United Nations has 17 Sustainable Development Goals that contain ambitious goals that member countries must meet by 2030. In 2023, only 15% of these goals were on track.
One of these objectives is the ninth, focused on “sustainable industrialization.” This idea seems contradictory when industrialization is so historically linked to environmental damage. In this episode of The Big Question, Angela Barnes together with Christophe Yvetot, EU representative at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), talk about how countries can grow economically while remaining green.
How does “sustainable industrialization” work?
“The wealth we have is because we industrialized. We all benefit from the services and products that are created every day,” explained Yvetot.
“So now the big challenge is to ensure that everything that is produced has the least impact on the environment.”
According to the European Commission, in 2022 alone the EU produced 2,233 million tons of waste. Of that figure, 71% came from construction, manufacturing, and mining and quarrying.
“The word ‘waste’ should be removed from the vocabulary because waste does not exist,” Yvetot added. “They’re just raw materials that you haven’t found a way to use.”
Yvetot wants us to rethink the way societies deal with waste, insisting that this type of “circular economy” would not only have environmental benefits.
“Not only do we see the cost of production decrease, but also new jobs are created because instead of wasting or throwing away the raw material, it is used to create new industries on this basis,” Yvetot said.
Why is industrialization an important part of the SDGs?
Although it can sometimes be difficult to see how all sustainable goals can go together, Christophe insisted that achieving one goal can have great benefits over others.
“What we have seen with the new report is that, every time there is more industry in the GDP or wealth of a country, there is almost automatically more human development.
“It means more access to education, more access to health services, more life expectancy, more equality between men and women. So you have a direct impact on social objectives, on human objectives.”
Christophe spent five years stationed in Senegal. Based on his experiences there, he suggested as an example that if money were invested in reducing the “post-harvest losses” of fruit production by transforming it locally into juice, it would also directly impact the objectives on poverty, hunger and equality.
What role should Europe play in global sustainable development?
There is a movement to reindustrialise Europe in a bid to create growth, jobs and reliable supply chains.
However, Christophe insists that this cannot be to the detriment of countries in the global south and that solidarity is key.
“The reindustrialization of the north cannot be carried out without the resources of the south,” he adds.
ADVERTISINGWhether a country is big or small, rich or poor, one thing is crucial, Yvetot insists. Sustainability standards must be consistent.
“It is very important to ensure a global playing field,” said Yvetot.
“If we fight climate (change) in Europe, the United States or China it is very good, but if we do not do it in the rest of the world, we will not advance.”
The Big Question is a Euronews Business series in which we chat with industry leaders and experts to discuss some of the most important issues on the current landscape.
ADVERTISINGWatch the full conversation with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization in the video above.
