The Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) and Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (ifeu) invited GOTS to an interactive ‘International Expert Workshop’ of global experts on ‘Maintaining Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Worldwide through Sustainable Consumption’ from 8-11 October 2018, held on the Isle of Vilm, Germany. GOTS Deputy Director Mr. Sumit Gupta participated and made a presentation on ‘The Role of Eco-Labels in Fostering Sustainable Consumption & Production’. The presentation was followed by a Panel Discussion on the same topic with representatives from IÖW, cotton and soybean sector.
The key sectors in focus were Cotton, Soybean and Lithium. 24 international experts participated and presented about these industries and their related impact on biodiversity and environment. Key learnings include:
- Patterns for loss of biodiversity, like deforestation, water pollution, etc. are similar in different industry sectors.
- To contain loss of ecosystem services, immediate interventions by government and private players are necessary
- Sustainability focused organisations must work together across product sectors and regions to protect the environment and ecosystem services.
