SDG 12 · Responsible Consumption and Production

Over a billion tons of food are thrown away every year.

Eco Heroes turns that fact into a story an 8-year-old can hold onto: A Chicken Thigh, book 12 of 17 in the SDG Library.

Unlock all 17 books, first month free → Read SDG 1 free

The target, in plain language

What the UN actually promised

Target 12.3

By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.

Halving waste at the consumer level means the target reaches into every kitchen and every lunchbox, not just factories and shops.

Target 12.5: substantially reduce waste through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse. Electronic waste alone has reached 65 million tons a year, and less than a quarter is formally recycled.

Why it matters

The number behind the story

1.05bn t

of food is wasted by consumers every year Together with food lost before it reaches the shops, that accounts for up to 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Source: The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2026, UN DESA. Figures as published in July 2026.

The story

A Chicken Thigh

Written by David Fernández Sifres (Premio Barco de Vapor) · Illustrated by Rebeca Luciani

Book 12 of 17 in the Eco Heroes SDG Library, one illustrated story for each UN Sustainable Development Goal. Unlocked with any Eco Heroes plan (families from €79 a year), and every plan starts with a free month. Published in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Catalan.

Bring it into the room

Talk about it, try it

Discuss

One question to ask after reading

“What did you throw away last week that could have been eaten, fixed or passed on to someone else?”

Try it: 15 minutes

Become bin detectives

After lunch, sort what's left into “could have been eaten”, “could be composted” and “real rubbish”. Count or weigh each pile, then set one goal for next week.

Seventeen goals, seventeen stories

Every SDG gets its own illustrated book, its own facts and its own activities. SDG 1 is always free. The rest unlock with a family, school or hotel plan.

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