Sustainable Lifestyles Summit 2025

Consumers International hosted the Sustainable Lifestyles Summit – a unique event which put consumers at the heart of a just transition to sustainable lifestyles. In celebration of World Consumer Rights Day on 15 March, the Summit brought together leaders for joint commitments, insights and collaboration to help meet global goals and support us all to live sustainably.

A plenary and welcome session opened the Summit with subsequent sessions focussed on cross-cutting themes of a just transition to sustainable lifestyles - including food, health, energy, plastics, gender, mobility and consumer information.

How can we make sustainable living the easy choice for all? What policies and innovations will drive real change? Who is leading the way, and what can we learn from them? Over five days, with 85+ eminent speakers, 18 sessions and with partners including United Nations Trade and Development, United Nations Environment Programme and Accenture we focussed on the answers and solutions.  

See below to watch sessions from throughout the week.

12:00 – 13:00 UTC
Hosted by Consumers International

A Just Transition to Sustainable Lifestyles for Consumers
Opening Session

Over 94% of consumers are in favour of a shift to more sustainable lifestyles, but more than 80% say they need stronger support from government and business to make this transformation possible.

As we open the Consumers International Summit on the occasion of World Consumer Rights Day, we look at what a just transition to sustainable lifestyles means for consumers around the world. We explore why accessibility, availability and affordability are key drivers to help us live more sustainably.

How do we take action to not only protect our planet, but to strengthen our access to essential consumer rights and needs?

Watch the session

 

Moderator

Helena Leurent

Director General

Consumers International

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Speakers

Ana Toni

COP30 Executive Director

Government of Brazil

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Joyashree Roy

Distinguished Professor

Asian Institute of Technology

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Gilly Wong

Chief Executive

Hong Kong Consumer Council

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Luc Triangle

General Secretary

ITUC International Trade Union Confederation

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María Mendiluce

Chief Executive Officer

We Mean Business Coalition

Anindita Mehta

Chief Operating Officer

Consumer Education and Research Society (CERC)

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Natalia Mrówczynska

Global Coordinator, Children and Youth Major Group

United Nations Environment Programme

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Igor Rodrigues Britto

Executive Director

Instituto Brasileiro de Defesa do Consumidor (Idec)

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13:00 – 14:00 UTC
Hosted by Consumers International

Unwrapping the Plastics Crisis
Sustainable Lifestyles Summit 2025

On average, each person consumes 60kg of plastic each year. In some places, such as Western Europe, this can rise up to an average of 150kg of plastic annuallyAccording to the UN Environment Programme, a combination of policy and market shifts can reduce plastic pollution by as much as 80%.

In this session we centre in on the actions needed to deliver this transition towards a more sustainable, plastic-free economy. 

Watch the session 

 

Speakers

Saroja Sundaram

Executive Director

Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG)

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Zaynab Sadan

Global Plastics Lead

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)

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Daniela Durán González

Senior Legal Campaigner

Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)

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Marian Ledesma

Zero Waste Campaigner

Greenpeace Philippines

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Leticia Zambora Zumbado

Advisor

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Costa Rica

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David Sanchez

Director

Federación de Consumidores y Usuarios (CECU)

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14:00 – 15:00 UTC
Hosted by Accenture

Making Sustainability more Human
Sustainable Lifestyles Summit 2025

How can we truly engage consumers on sustainability by connecting to their values and experiences? What is the latest research and practice on shaping behaviours, bridging the intention-action gap, and scaling impact?

Learn practical strategies to make sustainability resonate across diverse consumer segments and drive meaningful change. 

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Moderator

Mark Curtis

Managing Director

Accenture Song

Speakers

Oliver Pattenden

Head of Insights and Research

Accenture Song

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Ali Moore

Head of Communications and Behaviour Change

ReLondon

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Ludvig Liljekvist

Action Speaks

Ingka Group (IKEA)

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09:00 – 11:00 UTC
Hosted by the One Planet Network

Regional Dialogue: Consumer Rights for Sustainable Lifestyles in Asia
Sustainable Lifestyles Summit 2025

The Asia-Pacific region accounts for over half of global greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, the region remains off-track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, and at the current rate of progress will not get there until 2062. Tackling these challenges in parallel is complex, but the solutions are interconnected. Consumers in the region are supportive of a shift to sustainable lifestyles, ensuring our rights and needs are met while remaining within planetary boundaries.

This regional dialogue will help shape a pathway to sustainable lifestyles in line with regional priorities and opportunities, that will leave no one behind.

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Speakers

Adriana Zacarias Farah

Head of Global Opportunities for Sustainable Development Goals

United Nations Environment Programme

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Magnus Bengtsson

Policy Director

Hot or Cool Institute

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John T. G. Nielsen

General Manager

Fivelements Retreat Bali

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Rebeka Sharmin

Senior Manager, Regulatory & Scientific Affair

Nestlé Bangladesh PLC

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Jing Wang

Sustainable Procurement Cooperation Coordinator

International Green Purchasing Network

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Saree Aongsomwang

Secretary General

Thailand Consumers Council

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Hino Samuel Jose

Children and Youth Major Group Representative

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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Amandeep Garg

Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Government of India

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Zainab Naeem

Head of Ecological Sustainability and Circular Economy

Sustainable Development Policy Institute

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Anindita Mehta

Chief Operating Officer

Consumer Education and Research Society (CERC)

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12:00 - 13:00 UTC
Hosted by Consumers International

Consumers Leading the Charge for Change
Sustainable Lifestyles Summit 2025

Consumer power is real – it lives in the choices we make, the collective voice we raise, and the communities we shape. How can we harness consumer power to drive fair access to a safe, sustainable future and ensure the transition is both inclusive and accessible? This session will platform leading initiatives to mobilise consumer voice on sustainable lifestyles, and help us all to be champions for change. 

Watch the session

 

Moderator

Aayushi Chaturvedi

Lead, Consumer Insights

Consumers International

Speakers

Caroline Holme

Executive Director

GlobeScan

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Angela Oduor Lungati

Executive Director

Ushahidi

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Markus Terho

Project Director, Nature and Daily Life

Sitra Innovation Fund

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David Eichberg

Vice President, Sustainability

Mastercard Inc.

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13:00 - 14:00 UTC
Hosted by Consumers International

Love Food, Hate Waste
Sustainable Lifestyles Summit 2025

Food waste is an environmental failure and a top contributor to climate change and biodiversity loss; a humanitarian failure exacerbating hunger and malnutrition; and a market failure costing over US$1 trillion annually. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, 60% of food waste occurs in the household, while 40% of food waste occurs in food service and retail.

How can we rapidly address mounting food waste while listening to consumers and building bridges between consumer advocates, businesses and policymakers?

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Moderator

Estelle Herszenhorn

Head of Food System Transformation

WRAP

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Speakers

Belén Frau

Chief Communications Officer

Ingka Group (IKEA)

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Alka Rao

Advisor

Food Safety & Standards Authority, Government of India

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Clementine O'Connor

Programme Management Officer

United Nations Environment Programme

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Stefan Larenas Riobo

President

Organisation of Consumers and Users of Chile (ODECU)

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14:00 – 15:00 UTC
Hosted by Consumers International and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization

Achieving Access to Food for a Healthy Planet
Sustainable Lifestyles Summit 2025

Over one-third of the global population cannot afford a healthy diet, and almost one-in-ten are going hungry. Environmental crisis will increase these numbers, reminding us that sustainable lifestyles need to meet our needs as well as those of the planet.

This session will explore how action on sustainable lifestyles, starting from the consumers’ essential right to good food for all, offers a coherent solution to these interconnected challenges. 

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Moderator

Charlie Worthington

Food Systems Lead

Consumers International

Speakers

Stefanos Fotiou

Director

United Nations Food Systems Coordination Hub

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Geeta Sethi

Global Lead, Food Systems

World Bank Group

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Juan Echanove

Right to Food Lead

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

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Ricardo Campante Vale

Advisor, Institute of Applied Economic Research

Government of Brazil

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Shelly Sundberg

Deputy Director

Adaptive and Equitable Food Systems, Gates Foundation

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Alice Kemunto

Director

Consumer Grassroots Association

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15:00 – 16:00 UTC
Hosted by Consumers International

Consumer Information for Trust, Safety, and Sustainability
Sustainable Lifestyles Summit 2025

More than 50% of us have lost trust in the sustainability information provided to us in the marketplace. Unreliable, misleading or absent consumer information can lead to unsafe practices, erode trust, and perpetuate unsustainable consumption.

How does accurate and transparent information help us to make healthy decisionsWe explore best practice examples and the action needed to put greenwashing in the past. 

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Speakers

Ulf Jaeckel

Head of Division

Federal Ministry of Environment and Consumer Protection in Germany

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Jorge Laguna-Celis

Head of One Planet Network

United Nations Environment Programme

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Cameron Westfall

Head of Product and Engineering, Climate Pledge Friendly

Amazon.com Inc.

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Julia Catão Dias

Coordinator of Sustainable Consumption Programme

Instituto Brasileiro de Defesa do Consumidor (Idec)

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Cecilia Parker Aranha

Director of Consumer Protection

Competition and Markets Authority, UK

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11:00 – 12:00 UTC
Hosted by Consumers International

Consumer-Centred Energy Initiatives driving a Fast, Fair and Accountable Transition
Sustainable Lifestyles Summit 2025

SDG7 commits countries to ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable energy for all by 2030. We all know this goal is a long way from being achieved. A key reason for this, is that the single largest economic group – consumers – has generally been overlooked in climate mitigation strategies.  

Consumers have a hugely important, but largely untapped, role to play in driving the clean energy transition. Households make around 20% of the investments in energy today. The IPCCCC estimated that changes in energy use behaviour (households making changes to how they travel, how they eat, and how they heat, cool and power their homes), could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40-70% by 2050. 

The future energy system, based on decentralised renewable energy, has potential to be a more inclusive and more affordable system than the present one. In this session, we are showcasing ways that consumer-centred initiatives are harnessing consumer power to get us there faster and fairer. Participants will share their work in engaging consumers in clean energy both at the policy and practical levels. 

Watch the session

 

Moderator

Nina Campbell

Global Energy Lead

Consumers International

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Speakers

Matthew Steen

Director, Reviews and Testing

CHOICE Australia

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Ouadi Madih

President

Federation Nationale des Associations du Consommateur Maroc (FNAC)

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Stefan Larenas Riobo

President

Organisation of Consumers and Users of Chile (ODECU)

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Nadeem Iqbal

Chief Executive Officer

The Network for Consumer Protection in Pakistan

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Saree Aongsomwang

Secretary General

Thailand Consumers Council

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13:00 – 14:00 UTC
Hosted by Consumers International

Sustainable Living, Your Way
Sustainable Lifestyles Summit 2025

A majority of consumers globally support a shift towards sustainability, but our best efforts and intentions are inhibited by barriers of availability, accessibility, and affordability. Frequently, efforts to change consumer behaviour do not start with the consumer and their interests and needs.

How can businesses and policymakers start with the consumer to make sustainable choices the easy option for us all? What role does consumer insights play in addressing the barriers we face?  

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Moderator

Aayushi Chaturvedi

Lead, Consumer Insights

Consumers International

Speakers

Jonathan Hall

Sustainable Transformation Practice

Managing Partner

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Chiso Ndukwe-Okafor

Executive Director

Consumer Advocacy and Empowerment Foundation (CADEF)

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Lindsay Hooper

Chief Executive Officer

Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership

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Sara Enright

Senior Director, Safety & Sustainability

Consumer Reports

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14:00 – 15:00 UTC
Hosted by Consumers International

Available, Accessible, Affordable: Unlocking Dietary Shift
Sustainable Lifestyles Summit 2025

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a shift towards plant-rich diets is the single most influential demand-side action for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Some 68% of consumers worldwide are interested in eating more plant-based food, for reasons of health as well as sustainability, but only 20% regularly do so.

How can sustainable food systems drive healthy diets, making good food more available, accessible and affordable for us all? How can we build better for consumers and farmers? 

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Moderator

Charlie Worthington

Food Systems Lead

Consumers International

Speakers

Sandra Molenaar

Chief Executive Officer

Consumentenbond

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Brent Loken

Global Food Lead Scientist

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)

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Betty Kibaara

Director, Food Systems Initiative, Africa Office

The Rockefeller Foundation

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Philipp Wagnitz

Director, Quality & Sustainability

Lidl International

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Luz Maria De-Regil

Director, Nutrition and Food Safety

World Health Organization (WHO)

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12:00 – 13:00 UTC
Hosted by Consumers International

Fair Consumption: A Bedrock for Nature and Biodiversity
Sustainable Lifestyles Summit 2025

The material footprint of our global consumption is using up natural resources twice as fast as nature can regenerate. As consumers, our livelihoods depend on a realignment of our relationship with nature.

This session explores how we can diversify our dependence on natural resources and achieve global biodiversity goals with consumer rights for access, safety and economic choice.

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Speakers

Minnie Degawan

Managing Director

FSC Indigenous Foundation

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Roxana Salazar

Director

Fundación Ambio

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Alessandro Galli

Research Director

Hot or Cool Institute

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Hirotsugu Takahashi

Lead on Sustainable Production and Consumption

Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat

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Alice Kemunto

Director

Consumer Grassroots Association

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13:00 – 14:00 UTC
Hosted by United Nations Trade and Development

40 Years of the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection
Sustainable Lifestyles Summit 2025

Celebrating the World Consumers Rights Day and marking the 40th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection by the UN General Assembly, this webinar will reflect on their enduring impact in shaping consumer policies worldwide. Experts and policymakers will discuss how the Guidelines have guided countries in fostering fair, inclusive, and sustainable consumer protection frameworks. The session will explore emerging challenges, including digital transformation, environmental sustainability, and consumer vulnerabilities, and highlight best practices for ensuring consumer rights remain at the heart of economic policies. Join us to examine the future of consumer protection in an evolving global marketplace and reaffirm the Guidelines’ role in advancing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

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Moderator

Arnau Izaguerri Vila

Legal Officer

UN Conference on Trade and Development

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Speakers

Shirish V. Deshpande

Chairman

Mumbai Grahak Panchayat (MGP)

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Teresa Moreira

Head of Competition and Consumer Policies

UN Trade and Development

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Carmen Ligia Valderrama

Professor

Universidad del Externado, Colombia

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Laura Best

Researcher and Policy Advocate

Oxford University

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Eunice Phiri Hamavhwa

Acting Executive Director

Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, Zambia

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Carla Barata

Director-General

Directorate-General for Consumers, Portugal

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14:00 – 15:00 UTC
Hosted by Consumers International

Gender Justice in the Shift to Sustainable Lifestyles
Sustainable Lifestyles Summit 2025

Consumer action towards sustainability has gender-specific nuances, which are often not accounted for in policy or practice. Women drive nearly 80% of household spending decisions worldwide and are often more inclined to make sustainable choices. They are also disproportionately impacted by climate change and natural disasters.

A just transition to sustainable lifestyles means recognising and adapting interventions to these specificities. With leading gender experts we explore case studies of good practice and the role of consumer insights in strengthening gender justice and climate policy.  

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Moderator

Claudia Vaccarone

Inclusion Strategy Advisor

Freelance

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Speakers

Sascha Gabizon

Executive Director

Women Engage for a Common Future

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Caroline Hammarstedt Nuss

Analyst and Gender Implementation Advisor

Swedish Consumer Agency

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Claudia Collado

President

Acción del Consumidor (ADELCO)

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Mariëlle Feenstra

Co-founder & Scientific Director

75inQ

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15:00 - 16:30 UTC
Hosted by International Energy Agency

Empowering Communities to Participate in Clean Energy
Sustainable Lifestyles Summit 2025

Around the world, millions face challenges in accessing energy, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where energy costs can be crippling. To support sustainable lifestyles, we need to be empowered to make investment and behavioural choices that lower energy demand. Direct engagement with local communities – across all economies – is a powerful way to do this.

This session will explore practical examples of community-driven solutions and partnerships between local stakeholders in the drive towards the clean energy transition. Find out more.

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Moderator

Jane Cohen

Senior Programme Manager - People-Centred Clean Energy Transitions

International Energy Agency

Speakers

Igor Rodrigues Britto

Executive Director

Instituto Brasileiro de Defesa do Consumidor (Idec)

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Petra van der Aa

Expert Sustainability and Energy Transition

Consumentenbond

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Laurens Rutten

Senior Policy Officer

Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs (BEUC)

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Justin MacMullan

Principal Policy Advisor (Consumer Rights)

Which? UK

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Halina Jagielska

Young Energy Consumer Task Force Manager

European Youth Energy Network

Elin Volder Rutle

Head of Sustainability

Norwegian Consumer Council/ Forbrukerrdet

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Andriana Sukova

Deputy Director-General

European Commission's Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

15:00 – 17:00 UTC
Hosted by the One Planet Network

Regional Dialogue: Sustainable Lifestyles in Latin America and the Caribbean
Sustainable Lifestyles Summit 2025

Latin America and the Caribbean are exploring innovative policy and business solutions to advance sustainable lifestyles, but there is an opportunity to accelerate the impact of these efforts by aligning with action to protect consumer rights and needs. Consumers are supportive of a shift to sustainable lifestyles but many face challenges in accessing essential needs.

This regional dialogue will identify solutions to ensure that action for sustainable lifestyles can have strong co-benefits for consumers across the continent.

This session is in Spanish. 

Watch the session

 

Moderator

Beatriz Martins Carneiro

Regional Sub-Programme Coordinator, Economic and Financial Transformations

United Nations Environment Programme

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Speakers

Alejandro Luque

Civil Society Regional Co-Facilitator for Latin America and The Caribbean

United Nations Environment Programme

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Silvia Chaves

President

Florex

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Carlos Trujillo

Professor

Universidad de los Andes

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María José Troya

Executive Director

Tribuna, Consumer Protection Agency in Ecuador  

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Andrea Brusco

Deputy Regional Director

UNEP Regional Office LAC

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Rossana Bautista

Head

Commission for the Control of Unfair Competition, INDECOPI, Peru

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Camila Rosales Pérez

Head of Green Growth and Innovation Section

Environmental Information and Economics Division, Ministry of Environment of Chile

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13:00 – 14:30 UTC
Hosted by Consumers International

Raising the Pulse for Sustainable Lifestyles for Consumers in 2025: COP30, UNEA-7, and Beyond
Closing Session

In 2025, sustainable lifestyles will be on the agenda at COP30 in Brazil and the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) in Kenya. Countries will have an opportunity to integrate action on sustainable lifestyles into their wider environmental strategies and commitments, combining a much-needed shift in consumption patterns with essential protections for our rights and needs.

What is needed to unlock action at national and global levels? This closing session explores the commitments needed to reach urgent global goals.

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Moderator

Helena Leurent

Director General

Consumers International

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Speakers

Joyelle Clarke

Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment

Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis

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Mindy Hernandez

Director, Living Lab for Equitable Climate Action

World Resources Institute

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Lucy Shea

Group CEO

Futerra

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Anindita Mehta

Chief Operating Officer

Consumer Education and Research Society (CERC)

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Wang Zhenyu

Secretary General

China Consumers Association

Hino Samuel Jose

Children and Youth Major Group Representative

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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Phil Radford

CEO

Consumer Reports

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Tanah Lee Sullivan

Group Head of Sustainability

GoTo

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15:00 – 16:00 UTC
Hosted by Consumers International

Community Action at the Heart of Sustainable Lifestyles
Sustainable Lifestyles Summit 2025

Grassroots, community-led solutions can transform society from the ground up, building powerful alternative models for sustainable lifestyles that put people and planet first. Green Action Week is an annual global campaign that centres on local solutions, is led by consumer organisations around the world, and speaks to the growing demand we see from consumers to live more sustainably.

But what barriers must we break down to drive community action? How can we deepen impact through collaborative solutions? From across Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, we celebrate green action campaigns and explore next steps.

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Moderator

Lanja Rashid

Head of Consumption & Resource Use

Swedish Society for Nature Conservation

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Speakers

Simel Esim

Head, Cooperative, Social, and Solidarity Economy

International Labour Organization

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Roxana Salazar

Director

Fundación Ambio

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S M Nazer Hossain

Vice Pesident

Consumers Association of Bangladesh

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Rennta Chrisdiana

Chairperson

Yogyakarta Consumer Institute (Lembaga Konsumen Yogyakarta)

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Eva Marques

Chairman of the Board

Consumer Defence Association

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