Introduction: Re-imagining Responsible Consumption and Production in Higher Education Institutions

Some have said that it’s easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism (Jameson, 2003; Žižek, 2014). While this might seem extreme, global economies rely on a cycle of consumption and production rooted in neo-liberal ideology. Universities worldwide too are influenced by market values: funding changes have introduced new dynamics – students positioned as customers, universities competing for resources, and academic staff replaced by managers. Often, higher education institutions (HEIs) focus more on metrics than principles, prioritise employability over citizenship, and emphasise skills over collaboration (Connell, 2019).

The United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG12) ‘Responsible Consumption and Production’ suggests an alternative approach: by adding the word ‘responsible’ into the cycle of production and consumption, it creates an opportunity to re-imagine these dynamics – possibly not a radically new world but at least one reshaped by sustainability, boundaries, visibility, and personal and social responsibility. Addressing SDG12 in higher education aligns with the UNTransforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (United Nations, 2015) and responds to calls for systemic change in production and consumption patterns (Leal Filho et al., 2019).