Global Scans · Responsible Consumption and Production · Weekly Summary

In September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. If these Goals are completed, it would mean an end to extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.
Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

• [New] Industrial decarbonization and green fuel investments drive hydrogen production applications to experience their fastest growth rate through 2035. Transpire Insight
• [New] Fujian province - CATL's headquarters city - the expansion project will add 40 GWh of annual production capacity for sodium-ion power batteries. NextBigFuture.com
• [New] A European sales launch is targeted for H2 2027; EU tariffs on Chinese-made battery-electric vehicles of up to 45% make some form of local production a near-prerequisite for competitive pricing. Automotive World
• [New] Sweden should prepare a time-limited national risk-sharing mechanism to support bio-SAF and bio-SMF production from solid biomass. JD Supra
• [New] Existing EU production capacity is insufficient to meet the mandated blending targets from the 2030s onwards, creating a dependency on significant imports under current policy settings. JD Supra
• [New] The Strait of Hormuz closure has pushed up urea and phosphate prices, undermining fertilizer affordability and raising risks for future agricultural production. CNS Media
• [New] Strait of Hormuz disruptions are pushing up fertilizer costs, threatening agricultural production well beyond 2026. CNS Media
• [New] Meat consumption in most countries has been increasing since the 1960s (Gonzalez et al., 2020), and Flint et al. (2023) estimated that global meat consumption reached 328 million tons in 2021 and will increase by approximately 70% by 2050. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] U.S. electricity consumption is forecast to grow by 3.1% in 2027. EIA - Energy Information Administration
• [New] Globally, concentrated AI infrastructure could push data center consumption above 5 to 6%. Scientific American
• [New] The IEA projects data centers will account for about 3% of global electricity consumption by 2030 - a relatively modest increase. Scientific American
• [New] The collision between the clashing exponential curves of renewable energy supply and AI energy demands will determine not just the trajectory of the global energy system but whether the renewable energy transition succeeds before another technology consumption binge derails it entirely. Scientific American
• [New] Robotaxi services will accelerate their rollout nationwide this year, especially considering the mass production of Cybercab. tradingkey.com
• [New] PwC leaders expect clear benchmarks for agentic AI, Responsible AI embedded into daily operations, sustainability-driven value creation, a reshaped generalist-plus-strategist workforce, and orchestration layers that turn experimentation into production. VMblog
• [New] Supply-chain leaders and program managers who have not locked in multi-year solar panel allocations are already competing for capacity they cannot fully see - and the window to secure 2027 and 2028 production slots is closing faster than most forward procurement schedules assume. The Journal of Space Commerce
• [New] For the existing housing stock, a phased reduction in energy consumption is planned: by 2030 - by 16%, and by 2035 - by 20-22%. Last Week in ConTech
• [New] The United States needs to prepare the industrial base to surge production, which will require sufficient industrial infrastructure (e.g., capital expenditures) and components (e.g., supply chains) for unmanned production. Center for Strategic and International Studies
• [New] The green transition of the global steel industry is under threat due to the high costs of coal-based production and insufficient investment in environmentally friendly methods. GMK.CENTER
• [New] Farmers in eastern Ontario and Quebec will be looking at much better production forecast for 2026. DTN Progressive Farmer
• [New] Renaissance is expected to sustain a material ramp-up in output, targeting production of around 300,000 bpd by early 2026, driven by the reactivation of idle wells and expanded field development. The Government and Business Journal
• [New] Mining firms across the world are under mounting pressure to improve worker safety, maintain production continuity and reduce operational disruptions caused by hazardous conditions. Highways Today
• [New] As production scales globally, purchase prices are also expected to move closer to petrol and diesel equivalents across many mainstream segments. heycar

Last updated: 18 May 2026