SCP-HAT: a tool for identifying consumption and production hotspots
Sustainable consumption and production policies require information that shows not only impacts within a country's borders, but also environmental pressures associated with international supply chains.
The Sustainable Consumption and Production Hotspots Analysis Tool (SCP-HAT) was developed to help countries identify environmental and socioeconomic hotspots related to consumption and production patterns.
What does the tool analyse?
SCP-HAT integrates data from different sources to provide national and sectoral indicators. It allows users to explore historical trends and connect the consumption of goods and services with environmental pressures across value chains.
Topics include:
- raw material use;
- greenhouse gas emissions and climate change;
- air pollution and health impacts;
- land use and biodiversity;
- socioeconomic indicators.
The methodology combines environmentally extended multiregional input-output analysis (EE-MRIO) with life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methods. These approaches make it possible to examine both economic relationships between sectors and countries and selected environmental impacts associated with the flows analysed.
What is it useful for?
The tool can help policymakers and other stakeholders identify sectors, products and value chains that deserve attention. It can also support priority setting, trend monitoring and the exploration of policy options for more sustainable consumption and production.
Results should be interpreted in light of the coverage, resolution and assumptions of the underlying data. National or sectoral indicators do not replace local inventories or product-specific studies. The tool is primarily a diagnostic and exploratory resource, not a certification scheme or a detailed assessment of an individual company.
By making integrated and comparable information accessible, SCP-HAT helps turn environmental and economic data into evidence that can inform sustainability policies and strategies.