Global Goals and the 17 goals of AGENDA 2030

By 2030, we will work together to achieve 17 global goals created by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). One hundred and seventy countries are committed and driven to support various international, national and local initiatives jointly. ReThink is one such initiative.

ReThink focuses on six of the global goals.

ReThink focuses on six global goals with environmental and nature-related challenges. Below we briefly describe the respective goals and how ReThink connects to these goals.

Goal 4: Education for all

Goal four is about ensuring inclusive and equally good quality education and promoting lifelong learning for all. The goal involves creating similar conditions for girls and boys to participate in school and education and significantly increase relevant skills in young people and adults.

ReThink focuses on increasing the knowledge of everyone, young and old, regarding production and consumption’s environmental consequences through simple messages and information. We do it with humour, irony and self-distance.

Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation for all

Goal six concerns the world’s population having access to clean drinking water and sustainable sanitation. Water is an essential requirement for all living things on earth and, thus, a prerequisite for sustainable development.

ReThink focuses on increasing our knowledge of which textile materials consume more or less water and thus consume the earth’s water resources differently. For example, did you know that producing one kilogram of cotton requires up to 29,000 litres of water? That’s as much as 24 full bathtubs of water for one T-shirt.

Goal 12: Sustainable consumption and production

Goal 12 relates to how we can sustainably use Earth’s natural resources. It also includes questions about handling chemicals and different types of pollution. In addition, the manufacturing industry needs a paradigm shift from seeing waste as raw material to creating something new, also called a circular use of raw materials.

ReThink focuses on increasing our knowledge that our consumption needs to become circular instead of linear. By circular, we mean recycling used clothes into new garments or other usable items. Furthermore, 100% circular means the textile is compostable and never ends up in a landfill.

Did you know that only 1% of second-hand textiles are recycled into new clothes? We also buy a lot of clothes! In the last 15 years, the amount of textiles has doubled, and the increase is predicted to continue.

Goal 13: Fight climate change

Goal 13 is about taking immediate action to combat climate change and its consequences.

ReThink focuses on increasing our knowledge regarding climate change. For example, we manufacture twice as much clothing today as 15 years ago. Did you know that greenhouse gas emissions from global textile production are 1.2 billion tonnes annually – more than the combined emissions of all air and sea traffic? Life cycle analyses show that the most significant climate impact of an article of clothing is when it is transported to and from the shops or to pick up postal packages sent by truck, plane or car.

Goal 14: Oceans and marine resources

Objective 14 is about sustainably conserving and utilizing the oceans and marine resources to achieve more sustainable development. To cope with this, we need to minimize and address ocean acidification and stop unregulated fishing and unethical fishing methods.

Rethink focuses on increasing everyones’ knowledge and benefits marine research that provides the conditions for healthier seas and increased marine biodiversity. For example, did you know that the Aral Sea no longer receives any flowing meltwater from the mountains and only has 10% of its former size left?

Goal 15: Ecosystems and biodiversity

Goal 15 is about protecting, restoring and promoting the sustainable use of land-based ecosystems. Such as sustainably farming forests, combating desertification and flooding, halting and reversing land degradation, preventing and protecting against extinction, stopping poaching and halting biodiversity loss.

ReThink focuses on increasing the knowledge that we all depend on a functioning ecological system. A system where we humans are in harmony with everything from bacteria to beluga whales. Did you know that in three decades, we humans have probably caused a decline in the number of insects by about 80%, reduced the number of vertebrates such as chimpanzees, lions, birds, whales etc., by 60%, depleted lakes and soils and deforested rainforests?