Goal 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production

Goal 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production

RMIT is committed to ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns by advancing the circular economy and promoting responsible resource use.

RMIT promotes more sustainable patterns of production and consumption through research, education and operational initiatives that support circular economy principles and resource efficiency. 

The University works with industry, government and community partners to reduce waste, improve material recovery, develop sustainable products and embed circular thinking into teaching and practice. 

Through these activities, RMIT helps accelerate the transition to more sustainable and regenerative economic systems.

Highlights of recent SDG 12 aligned activity are included below, with more information available in our 2025 Sustainability Annual Report (PDF 13 MB), with our 11 years of reporting progress outlined on the Sustainability Annual Report webpage.

Broader sustainability contributions are also highlighted in our organisational Annual Report, which are tabled in the Victorian Parliament.

2025 Case Studies

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RMIT is helping transform the fashion sector through circular economy education and research. 

In 2025, the School of Fashion and Textiles launched Refashioning: Accelerating Circular Product Design at Scale, a practical guide that helps designers prioritise durability, repair, reuse and end-of-life outcomes from the outset of the design process. 

By translating leading research into practical tools for students and industry practitioners, RMIT is advancing more sustainable and resource-efficient approaches to fashion production and consumption.

RMIT researchers are helping reduce food waste and strengthen circular economy outcomes through their leadership of the End Food Waste CRC REDUCE Program. 

Recognised with the inaugural Sustainability Award at the 2025 RMIT Awards for Excellence, the program works with industry, universities and government to develop practical solutions that reduce food loss and waste across the supply chain. 

The initiative has contributed to reductions in food waste and associated greenhouse gas emissions while supporting the development of circular economy jobs and more sustainable approaches to food production and consumption.

RMIT researchers are challenging unsustainable patterns of consumption through the Textile Terrains project. 

The research investigates the global second-hand clothing trade and its environmental and social impacts, including the growing volume of textile waste exported to lower-income countries. 

Combining trade mapping, satellite imagery and field research, the project highlights the consequences of overconsumption and advocates for more responsible production, regulation and consumer behaviour. 

By helping audiences understand the hidden impacts of the fashion system, RMIT is supporting conversations about more sustainable consumption.

2024 Case Studies

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In 2024, RMIT Professor Usha Iyer-Raniga released a pivotal book addressing how sustainable construction can tackle climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. The book highlights the achievements and influence of the One Planet Network’s Sustainable Buildings and Construction (SBC) program, launched in 2015, in promoting global sustainable building solutions.

By aligning circular built environment indicators with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the book offers pathways for achieving these goals while acknowledging the challenges in global implementation. It proposes leveraging insights from the SBC program to further advance circular practices, aiming for a sustainable future in the building sector.

This work provides valuable insights for professionals in planning, architecture, engineering, and construction, and offers practical guidance to policymakers committed to sustainability. Professor Iyer-Raniga’s book is a testament to the integration of learning, teaching, and research in positively influencing the construction industry and contributing to environmental and economic sustainability.

An RMIT University innovation has been integrated into a major infrastructure project for the first time. 

Organic waste, such as spent coffee grounds, contributes to 3 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. Dr Rajeev Roychand and his team have developed a method to transform this waste into a construction resource by enhancing concrete strength by 30 per cent using coffee biochar. This biochar is created through a low-energy, oxygen-free process at 350°C, reducing landfill waste and giving coffee grounds a second life.

In the Pakenham Roads Upgrade, Major Road Projects Victoria and contractor BildGroup used biochar made from coffee grounds to partially replace the river sand mixed in with concrete. Earth Systems converted 5 tonnes of grounds - equivalent to 140,000 coffees - into 2 tonnes of biochar, used in the 30m³ footpath on McGregor Road.

This application is part of several circular economy initiatives in the Pakenham Roads Upgrade, including reusing soil for embankments and using foam bitumen and rubber tyre road barriers. The researchers also acknowledged the Indigenous-owned coffee supplier Talwali Coffee Roasters for providing used ground coffee for the research.

In November 2024, RMIT hosted the Alumni Green Business Showcase at its Saigon South campus, centring on sustainable practices with a strong emphasis on reuse. 

The event featured a keynote address by Dr. Martin Blake, an expert in sustainable business, and highlighted innovative projects like GreenConnect, which repurposes clothing and books, and VietRecycles, an app enhancing recycling logistics.

A panel discussion brought attention to the vital role of collaboration between businesses and communities in driving sustainability. The showcase provided RMIT alumni entrepreneurs a platform to share insights and foster connections, encouraging the advancement of green initiatives. 

This event not only underscored RMIT's commitment to sustainability but also highlighted its role in empowering alumni to contribute to a more environmentally friendly future. Through these initiatives, RMIT continues to demonstrate leadership in promoting sustainable business practices and inspiring positive change.

SDG Alignment Mapping Overview

As reported in the 2025 Sustainability Annual Report, there were 116 course units and 240 research projects aligned with SDG 12 in 2025, representing a wide range of initiatives related to responsible consumption and production. 

Other SDG alignment insights are captured in the data below.

116 Course Units

240 Research Projects

33 International Research Partnerships

279 Publications

  RMIT Global Average
Publications in Top 25% Journal Percentiles by SIR (%) 83.2 62.9
Citations per Publication 4.4 3.2
Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) 1.7 65%
National Contribution (%) 7.3% N/A
International Collaboration  64.2 28.5
Developing Country Collaboration (%) 65% N/A
Low to Lower-Middle Income Country Collaboration (%) 38% N/A

Research Projects and Initiatives Over the Years

The following research projects have been specifically aligned to Sustainable Development Goal 12 and the aim to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. These projects and initiatives are examples of the University’s contribution to the SDGs over the years.

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RMIT SDGs Impact Report

RMIT recognises the important role the education sector can play not only supporting the SDGs agenda, but actually promoting and contributing to the achievement of all 17 Goals.

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Aquatic Pollution Prevention Partnership

The aims of this research partnership between Melbourne Water and RMIT University is to help prevent aquatic pollution.

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Centre of Excellence in future Low Energy Electronics Technologies (FLEET)

Decreasing energy use is a grand challenge facing society. The ARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies (FLEET) is a partnership with Monash University that addresses this challenge by realizing fundamentally new types of electronic conduction without resistance in solid-state systems at room temperature.

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The Adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Practices in Vietnam

Conventional farming in developing countries contributes to climate change and environment deterioration while bringing negative health effects to both farmers and consumers. Arguable it will not solve the problem of food security.

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Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.

Learn more about our commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples