Beyond Consumption: Can a Sustainable World Actually Work?

As global divisions intensify and international agreements falter, the path to sustainable consumption has never felt more uncertain. Yet the need for resource recovery, resilient systems, and fair global supply chains is only growing.

In this episode of The Beyond Waste Podcast, guest host Tim Walker (arc21) is joined by Maya de Souza (Materia Verde) and Beth Barker (Aldersgate Group) to tackle one of the most contentious questions of our time: Is a world built on sustainable consumption truly possible—or just a well-meaning illusion?

Together, they unpack the realities of SDG 12 in 2025, the stubborn chokehold of the linear economy, and what happens when global treaties stall or collapse. The conversation takes us from the shifting economic power of the Global South to the geopolitical risks of restricting consumption in nations whose economies rely on it.

Expect a candid exploration of:

• Whether resource efficiency, waste reduction, policy action or lifestyle change is the real key to rapid impact

• How to break free from the linear model dominating global economies

• The fallout from failed international agreements—like the stalled UN Global Plastics Treaty

• Building credible, just, and sustainable global supply chains

• Why “sustainable consumption” sounds simple but is maddeningly complex in practice

• Growing consumption in the Global South—and how to avoid replicating Western overconsumption

• Why some nations view consumption restrictions as existential threats

Join us for a thought-provoking, solutions-focused conversation on what it really takes to build resilient systems—and whether sustainable consumption can ever move from ambition to reality.