This report demonstrates that Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) and Circular Economy (CE) approaches are not optional ‘add-ons’ to climate policy: they are fundamental instruments for raising the ambition, credibility and resilience of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Global evidence shows that material extraction, processing and use drive the majority of the world’s greenhouse-gas emissions and biodiversity loss, meaning that decarbonisation strategies that focus only on energy systems will leave large sources of emissions and vulnerability unaddressed. Integrating CE/SCP widens the policy toolkit to include demand-side measures, lifecycle thinking and resource-loop closing interventions that deliver simultaneous mitigation, adaptation and sustainable development outcomes.

For Pacific Island Countries (PICs), the logic is particularly compelling. PICs are among the smallest global emitters yet face some of the most severe climate impacts. Geographic isolation, narrow economic bases and deep dependence on imported goods have produced entrenched linear material flows that (a) expose countries to fuel and supply-chain shocks, (b) drain foreign exchange, and (c) generate waste streams that local systems struggle to manage. Reframing NDCs to prioritise CE and SCP therefore addresses climate ambition while directly strengthening economic security, food and water sovereignty, and disaster resilience. This ‘resource-sovereignty’ framing is both pragmatic and politically potent for the Pacific.