Our Scans · (LF.12) 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] Africa could significantly boost pharmaceutical production, such as vaccines and treatments, with more agile regulations for moving scientific materials across borders. News-Medical
• [New] Strategic Supply Chain Note: The estimated +300% production increase in lithium Wyoming deposits by 2026 will be a pillar for domestic EV battery manufacturing and renewable energy storage systems-securing America's position in the clean energy race. Farmonaut
• [New] Thai entrepreneurs, particularly in the iron and steel sector, must overhaul production methods to cut carbon footprints or risk penalties under the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. https://www.bangkokpost.com
• [New] Production of cars and vans could exceed 1 million by 2027. BBC News
• [New] The SMMT believes in 2026 will be better, with car output expected to rise by 10% as production of new models ramps up. BBC News
• [New] Growth is expected to continue in 2026, supported by the start of next-generation volume electric car production in Sunderland and the planned launch of seven new EV models across the UK. AM-online
• [New] UK vehicle production is expected to return to growth in 2026, with output forecast to rise by more than 10% to around 790,000 units. AM-online
• [New] The creation of the $2 b Critical Minerals Sovereign Fund and First and Last Mile Fund will invest in getting near-term critical minerals projects to production. EY
• [New] The capital expenditures planned for 2026 - more than double last year's outlay and almost twice as much as Wall Street was expecting - will go to ramping up production of cars, batteries and robots across half a dozen plants. Los Angeles Times
• [New] Orqa's partnership with Qatar's Barzan Holdings to establish 1M + annual drone production capacity suggests a significant shift toward decentralized, high-volume commercial drone manufacturing infrastructure that could rapidly pivot to military applications across Middle Eastern theaters. Drone Warfare
• [New] Predictive Analysis: Taiwan will likely accelerate production timelines and increase procurement targets following continued Chinese military exercises, potentially reaching 500,000+ annual production by 2028 if political gridlock breaks. Drone Warfare
• [New] Taiwan's drone production target of 100,000 units by 2028 appears catastrophically inadequate compared to Ukraine's 2-million-unit 2024 production, suggesting Taiwan would exhaust its entire drone inventory within days - possibly hours - of a Chinese invasion projected for 2027. Drone Warfare
• [New] Russia's current production of 404 Shahed-type drones daily indicates mature industrial capacity, with planned escalation to 1,000 units daily representing a 2.5 x increase that could overwhelm air defence through sheer volume. Drone Warfare
• [New] As the US is now the world's top LNG exporter, with two-thirds of shipments going to Europe, Arctic disruptions can affect prices internationally and have short-term impacts on fertilizer production and industrial energy costs. Czapp
• [New] Metals consumption is expected to increase its share of demand notably from 2026 onward. / Indonesia BC Insight
• [New] India is seeing increasing sulphur consumption from expanded phosphate burners (Iffco, PPL, CIL) and limited domestic supply increases which will create ongoing import requirements over the next few years. BC Insight
• [New] Increased supply has reduced import dependence, and CRU projects Chinese production to continue rising to 2030, lowering import dependency from the late 2020s, although industrial demand from ammonium sulphate and other chemical outputs have remained resilient. BC Insight
• [New] With indigenous technology - including initiatives such as the IIT Madras seed programme - India could reduce production costs by 20-30% over the next two years, making lab-grown diamonds more affordable globally while strengthening exports and job creation. The Times Of India
• [New] In the upcoming Budget, continued policy stability, expanded R&D incentives and easier access to financing for manufacturers will be critical to helping India become the world's largest hub for sustainable diamond production. The Times Of India
• [New] Looking to 2026, a central question is how priorities set out in China's upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan and associated sector-specific strategies will translate into domestic policy across production, processing, and recycling, and how they will shape overseas investment. ODI: Think change
• By 2026, global lithium production will be 42% higher than in 2024, with the US and Argentina seeing the fastest growth. Farmonaut
• Global lithium production is projected to exceed 1 million metric tons by 2026, fueling rapid energy technology advancements. Farmonaut

Last updated: 02 February 2026