This paper elaborates and presents key issues established for a course on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). ESD is supported by the United Nations (UN) organization and its agency, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Quality education is also one of the seventeen UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The evolution of sustainable development and ESD is overviewed first in order to define the most important content of ESD in future teaching. Because of the fast development of humankind in all the SD pillars (economic, social and environmental), the climate crises as well as the new technologies and knowledge emerging, education leaders and teachers are lacking modern and effective content for ESD. Therefore, twelve key issues of ESD are identified and elaborated in the present article. The issues are organized into four groups (approach, contents, teaching, and organization) with three items each. The approach is including ESD scope, policy, and cooperation, the contents part deals with the three ESD pillars — environmental, social and economic; the third group, teaching, regards ESD methodologies, transformative teaching and learning, and capacity building; the organization group presents ESD metrics, documents, and institutions. The twelve issues have been synthesized after reviewing the available literature, enhanced by the participation in several international projects on education. In addition, they were further elaborated from feedback obtained from three international conferences focused on education for sustainable development, social responsibility, and sustainable consumption and production. The key goals suggested by the audience of the international conference in Vienna were holistic education, stakeholders’ awareness, participation and cooperation, and building capacity of stakeholders, while the challenge was found to be the timely evolution of human society towards the deep transformation. This paper is an informed perspective proposing content for an Education for Sustainable Development course.

This review paper examines the past, present, and future of sustainable consumption and production (SCP). The history of the Sustainable Development Goal No. 12 (i.e., to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns) is presented and analyzed. A definition of the sustainable consumption is given and the role of education is explained. The present status and existing trends of SCP are introduced by analyzing unsustainable behavior and the existing dilemma, namely sustainable growth or degrowth. A very broad range of methods is used for measuring and evaluating SCP within sustainable development. To forecast the future of SCP, important trends are presented. The future development of SCP will follow several megatrends and it will require reduced personal and collective consumption (degrowth). Energy usage in buildings, renewable energy sources, and energy storage will be important in that respect. Transportation emissions will continue to be lowered. Waste, especially food waste, shall be reduced, and consumer products shall become more durable. All waste must be collected and separated to be reused. SPC is elaborated in view of the two approaches—Industry 4.0 (smart factory), and the “Sixth Wave” evolution. Net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, resource efficiency, and zero waste will be at the forefront of future activities. A circular economy requires extension of product lifetimes, and the reuse and recycling of products. Reducing emissions, pollution and specific energy, water, and raw material usage (especially critical raw materials), as well as the role of digitalization, will be important.

Given the urgency to combat climate change and ensure environmental sustainability, this review examines the transition to net-zero emissions in chemical and process industries. It addresses the core areas of carbon emissions reduction, efficient energy use, and sustainable practices. What is new, however, is that it focuses on cutting-edge technologies such as biomass utilization, biotechnology applications, and waste management strategies that are key drivers of this transition. In particular, the study addresses the unique challenges faced by industries such as cement manufacturing and highlights the need for innovative solutions to effectively reduce their carbon footprint. In particular, the role of hydrogen as a clean fuel is at the heart of revolutionizing the chemical and process sectors, pointing the way to cleaner and greener operations. In addition, the manuscript explores the immense importance of the European Green Deal and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the chemical industry. These initiatives provide a clear roadmap and framework for advancing sustainability, driving innovation, and reducing the industry’s environmental impact, and are a notable contribution to the existing body of knowledge. Ultimately, alignment with the European Green Deal and the SDGs can bring numerous benefits to the chemical industry, increasing its competitiveness, promoting societal well-being, and supporting cross-sector collaboration to achieve shared sustainability goals. By highlighting the novelty of integrating cutting-edge technologies, addressing unique industrial challenges, and positioning global initiatives, this report offers valuable insights to guide the chemical and process industries on their transformative path to a sustainable future.

This paper describes the state of the art and future opportunities for process design and sustainable development. In the Introduction, the main global megatrends and the European Union’s response to two of them, the European Green Deal, are presented. The organization of professionals in the field, their conferences, and their publications support the two topics. A brief analysis of the published documents in the two most popular databases shows that the environmental dimension predominates, followed by the economic one, while the social pillar of sustainable development is undervalued. The main design tools for sustainability are described. As an important practical case, the European chemical and process industries are analyzed, and their achievements in sustainable development are highlighted; in particular, their strategies are presented in more detail. The conclusions cover the most urgent future development areas of (i) process industries and carbon capture with utilization or storage; (ii) process analysis, simulation, synthesis, and optimization tools, and (iii) zero waste, circular economy, and resource efficiency. While these developments are essential, more profound changes will be needed in the coming decades, such as shifting away from growth with changes in habits, lifestyles, and business models. Lifelong education for sustainable development will play a very important role in the growth of democracy and happiness instead of consumerism and neoliberalism.

A change in human development patterns is needed, including mankind’s environmental, economic, and social behavior. Engineering methods and practices have a substantial impact on the way to sustainable development. An overview of the guiding principles of sustainability, sustainable design, green engineering, and sustainable engineering is presented first. Sustainable engineering principles need to be updated to include the present state of the art in human knowledge. Therefore, the updated principles of sustainable development are presented, including traditional and more recent items: a holistic approach, sustainability hierarchies, sustainable consumption, resource scarcity, equalities within and between generations, all stakeholders’ engagement, and internalizing externalities. Environmental, social, and economic impacts that respect humans’ true needs and well-being are of importance to the future. The updated 12 principles include the tridimensional system’s approach, precautionary and preventive approaches, and corporate reporting liability. The environmental principles comprise a circular economy with waste minimization, efficient use of resources, increased share of renewables, and sustainable production. The social pillar includes different views of equality, the engagement of stakeholders, social responsibilities, and decent work. Economic principles embrace human capital, creativity, and innovation in the development of products, processes and services, cost-benefit analysis using the Life Cycle Assessment, and the polluters must pay principle. The principles will require further development by engaging individual engineers, educators, and their associations.