Responsible Consumption and Production: less, but better
The best souvenir is a memory, the best menu is whatever's in season, while the cheapest waste to deal with is that which you never bought in the first place.
How local businesses are choosing enough over more, and finding it good for business.
Enough over more: what it looks like in a tourism business
There's a quiet movement called Voluntary Simplicity: run your business around what people actually need, not what they're told to want. For tourism and hospitality, that means fewer things and better experiences. A walk instead of a gift-shop keyring, a plate of something grown nearby instead of something flown in.
It cuts waste and it cuts costs. It also happens to be what a growing number of guests are looking for, somewhere that feels considered rather than mass-produced. Leave footprints, take away memories.
What is UN Sustainable Development Goal 12, Responsible Consumption and Production?
Buying less, wasting less and choosing local - the United Nations calls it Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. It's one of six goals Visit Dean Wye partners champion, and probably the one you're already halfway through.
First steps, by business type
- Accommodation: refillable toiletries, filtered water instead of plastic bottles, and laundry on request rather than daily
- Attractions and activities: a Leave No Trace policy, reusable bottles, and locally made or upcycled stock in the shop
- Food and drink: seasonal, local menus, smaller-portion options, and compost for what's left
- Retail: review your packaging and give shelf space to local makers
- Everyone: promote travel by train and cycle route, and name someone on the team as your waste champion
Choose a goal
Find your first step. Enough is plenty.
- Choose your goal
- Tell us your first step: Marketing@visitdeanwye.co.uk
See it working — businesses featured in this film
Choose another goal
The six goals Visit Dean Wye partners champion. Each one has its own three-minute film and a list of first steps.
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Frequently asked questions
- What is the quickest change to make?
For accommodation, refillable toiletries and a jug of filtered water in the room. For food and drink, one seasonal dish from a local producer. Both are visible to guests on day one.
- Which other goals does this overlap with?
No Poverty, because buying local keeps money here, and Life Below Water, because what you stop buying never reaches the drain.
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