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] Lithium-ion battery recycling, hydrometallurgical processing for battery-grade output production, direct recycling cathode active material recovery, and second-life battery systems before final recycling represent the highest-growth investment vectors through 2034. IMARC Group
• [New] In low-income countries, insect meal presents an opportunity for sustainable protein production, reducing dependency on imported feed and supporting local economies, in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] Dominant Region: Asia Pacific is expected to dominate with an estimated 35% share in 2026, driven by high device adoption, dense production hubs, and widespread smart appliance use. Persistence Market Research
• [New] Global demand for natural flake graphite is forecast to more than double within a decade - rising from approximately 1.2 million tonnes in 2025 to nearly 3 million tonnes by 2035 - driven by the rapid expansion of electric vehicle production and battery energy storage. GlobeNewswire
• [New] The mining sector will need to hire between 100000 and 220000 employees by 2033 to replace retirees and fill new positions to meet baseline production targets. IEA
• [New] The more dollar-centric fuel production in the Americas is expected to retain its competitive global shares, especially in the oil segment, where North and Latin Americas combined are expected to retain c.38% combined share vs. 33% attributable to the Middle East. investing.com
• [New] Changing rainfall patterns associated with El Nino are expected to bring drought to some regions and severe flooding to others, threatening harvests, livestock, water supplies and food production across Africa, Asia, the Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean. UN News
• [New] AI is the biggest driver pushing global datacenter electricity use to more than double by 2030 to around 945 terawatt-hours, slightly more than the entire electricity consumption of Japan. theregister
• [New] We find climate change could raise the cost of green-hydrogen production by up to 20% in some global locations, and about 16% of global locations could see LCOH increases or decreases exceeding 5%. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] In 2026, robotics will move from exploratory pilots to structured early adoption across the print production floor, driven by rising costs, persistent labour challenges, and growing demand for faster turnaround and 24/7 output. Automate
• [New] The Protein Brewery anticipates supplying 600 metric tons of Fermotein in 2027 from its demo-scale factory in Breda in the Netherlands to meet customer commitments in Europe, the US and Singapore, with production capacity increasing to > 2,000 tons by 2029. AgFunderNews
• [New] Nvidia-backed photonics vendor Coherent plans to boost indium phosphide wafer production at its Sherman, Texas, fab by 4 x in anticipation AI proliferation will trigger an explosion in optical interconnect demand. theregister
• [New] The protein production application segment is expected to exhibit a noteworthy CAGR of 12.6% between 2026 and 2034. Market Data Forecast
• [New] The growing proliferation of EVs in road transport has a deep impact on the trajectory for global oil consumption, with total road fuel demand expected to peak in 2029. BloombergNEF
• [New] Manufacturing companies that rely on proprietary technology, production processes, tooling designs, or brand assets must secure IP protection early, as China's first-to-file system poses real risks once manufacturing activities begin. China Briefing News
• [New] Funds will ramp Spectrum production, support a Parsdorf plant, and back a new Canadian launch site, with Spaceport Nova Scotia joining Andoya, Norway. Cyclop SpaceTech
• [New] Localizing production in agrarian economies, especially in the Global South, has the potential to reshape supply chain dependencies and decarbonize critical industries. AgFunderNews
• [New] Supply chain risk is multi-layered, shaped by firm-level choices, the structure of global production networks, and external pressures such as climate change and geopolitics. GOV.UK
• [New] The electricity consumption of cooling systems are forecast to jump by 22.6% in 2026 to 195 TWh, reflecting both the thermal demands of denser AI hardware and the ongoing expansion of capacity globally. Bizclik Media Ltd
• [New] AI-optimised servers saw consumption climb by more than 83% in 2025 and are forecast to grow by a further 84% in 2026, reaching 175 TWh in total before surpassing conventional servers entirely by 2027. Bizclik Media Ltd
• [New] Global data center electricity consumption is forecast to reach 565 TWh in 2026, a 26% increase on the 447 TWh recorded in 2025. Bizclik Media Ltd
• [New] Expansion of Smoke-Free Corporate Mandates: Global tobacco giants are actively decommissioning cigarette production lines to meet self-imposed smoke-free revenue targets by 2030. Knowledge Sourcing Intelligence
• [New] Meat production is expected to decline in 2026 compared to 2025 for beef, pigmeat and sheep and goat, while poultry production is forecasted to increase. Agriculture and rural development

Last updated: 22 June 2026