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Utilitarianism focuses on maximizing overall well-being. In the context of SDG 12, actions such as promoting circular economy and digital technologies align with utilitarianism. However, as discussed in Mikael Nurminen's article "Questioning Anthropocentric Utilitarianism: Expanding Ethical Horizons in the Circular Economy", a pure utilitarian approach may prioritize short-term human interests over long-term environmental sustainability.

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Business Ethics and Utilitarianism with Peter Baron from Peped

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Deontology emphasizes moral duties and principles. From the deontologist-anthropocentric view, in relation to SDG 12, companies have a moral duty to reduce pollution, toxic waste and resource overuse, and should follow ethical guidelines in production regardless of economic benefits. This theory is relevant to the journal article as it can guide companies to take responsibility for their actions and contribute to sustainable development.

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The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), launched in 2015, represent a global initiative to end poverty, protect the environment and ensure peace and prosperity for everyone. Among these goals, SDG 12 specifically targets responsible consumption and production patterns (United Nations, 2023).

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SDG 12 concentrates on achieving sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources by 2030. It talks about substantially reducing waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse, encouraging companies to adopt sustainable practices and integrate sustainability information into their reporting, promoting public procurement practices that are sustainable, and ensuring that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development. SDG 12 understands that sustainable consumption and production are about doing more and better with less, decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation, and improving quality of life for all.

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SDG 12 Sustainable Consumption and Production - UN Sustainable Development Goals - DEEP DIVE

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Balsalobre-Lorente and Shah (2024) identify the circular economy, digital technologies, and empowerment as pivotal for advancing SDG 12—aligning with its core pursuit of sustainable consumption/production (SCP) by 2030, which emphasizes resource efficiency, waste reduction, and sustainability integration in business. Digital tools enhance energy efficiency and resource productivity, yet their benefits must balance environmental costs (e.g., e-waste, rare earth extraction) and distributional inequities to avoid undermining SDG 12’s equitable development aim. The authors caution against overreliance on efficiency paradigms, stressing empowerment and equitable benefit-sharing as ethical imperatives for just transitions—resonating with utilitarianism (maximizing overall well-being). In SDG 12 context, utilitarian logic is evident: e.g., AI-optimized resource use improves corporate efficiency, expands clean energy access, and reduces environmental harm, yielding collective societal and planetary gains.​

Deontological approaches (emphasizing moral duties like rights protection, pollution reduction) hold theoretical relevance to SDG 12’s responsible production call but play a supplementary role in the authors’ strategies. For instance, a manufacturer auditing suppliers to prevent human rights abuses (deontologically aligned) often serves the broader utilitarian goal of equitable, long-term SCP benefits, rather than acting as an independent ethical driver.​

Ultimately, integrating circular practices (e.g., product-as-a-service, closed-loop supply chains) with ethical sourcing and community engagement addresses intergenerational justice—and utilitarianism remains the primary ethical anchor, aligning tech advancement and business actions with SDG 12’s SCP objective for collective well-being.​

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"Economy, Empowerment, and Digital Technologies: Key Factors for SDG 12?"

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"Economy, Empowerment, and Digital Technologies: Key Factors for SDG 12?"

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This 2024 Journal of Environmental Management study analyzes 2000–2021 data from the top 15 circular economies. It explores how circular economy, digital technologies, natural resource use, and empowerment shape responsible energy consumption/production—core to SDG 12. The research finds circular economy and digital technologies positively drive sustainable energy practices (e.g., increasing green energy use). Ethically, it aligns with utilitarianism by linking these factors to maximizing overall societal and planetary well-being.

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“Circular Economy, Empowerment, and Digital Technologies: Key Factors for SDG 12?”

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"Questioning Anthropocentric Utilitarianism: Expanding Ethical Horizons in the Circular Economy"

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"Questioning Anthropocentric Utilitarianism: Expanding Ethical Horizons in the Circular Economy"

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Nurminen’s 2025 paper challenges anthropocentric utilitarianism in the circular economy—an ethical framework key to SDG 12. It argues that a pure utilitarian focus on short-term human interests may harm long-term environmental sustainability. This contrasts with traditional utilitarian ties to circular economy (e.g., maximizing immediate societal benefits) and stresses the need for broader ethics. Though not focusing on deontology directly, the paper indirectly supports it by emphasizing environmental protection as a moral duty, not just a means to human well-being—strengthening ethical balance in circular economy decisions.

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Balsalobre-Lorente, D., & Shah, S. A. R. (2024). Stay circular economy, empowerment, and natural resource utilization factual factors for SDG 12? The principal role of digital technologies. Journal of Environmental Management, 370, 122459. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenyman.2024.122459

Nurminen, M. (2025). Questioning Anthropocentric Utilitarianism: Expanding Ethical Horizons in the Circular Economy. Circular Economy and Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43615-025-00675-4

United Nations. (2023). Goal 12 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Sdgs.un.org.

https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal12

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"Efficiency or equality? The utilitarianism–egalitarianism trade-off determines carbon allocation preference" by Lingling Huang et al.

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"Efficiency or equality? The utilitarianism–egalitarianism trade-off determines carbon allocation preference" by Lingling Huang et al.

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This article published in the British Journal of Social Psychology in 2024 explores the trade-off between utilitarianism and egalitarianism in carbon allocation. It is relevant to our discussion as it shows how different moral values can impact resource-related decisions, which is related to SDG 12's goal of sustainable resource use. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12702

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"Questioning Anthropocentric Utilitarianism: Expanding Ethical Horizons in the Circular Economy" by Mikael Nurminen

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"Questioning Anthropocentric Utilitarianism: Expanding Ethical Horizons in the Circular Economy" by Mikael Nurminen

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This paper challenges the anthropocentric utilitarian approach in the circular economy and proposes alternative ethical perspectives. It provides in-depth insights into the ethical aspects of circular economy, which are crucial for achieving SDG 12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43815-025-00675-4

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Circular Economy: definition & examples | Sustainability Environment

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This Padlet delves into the business ethics issue of how moral values impact the implementation of sustainable consumption and production, closely tied to UN Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG 12). The ethical debate centers on the tension between utilitarianism and other ethical approaches, which significantly influence decision - making in resource - related matters. In the business environment, ethics are the bedrock of sustainable development. They guide companies in making choices that not only benefit themselves but also contribute to the well - being of society and the planet. Without a solid ethical foundation, achieving SDG 12, which aims to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns, would be a daunting task.

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This Padlet has explored the business ethics issue related to SDG 12, with a focus on the role of moral values in sustainable consumption and production.

The journal article by Balsalobre-Lorente and Shah (2024) provided key insights into how circular economy, digital technologies, and empowerment influence responsible energy patterns. The two ethical theories: utilitarianism and deontology—offer complementary perspectives for evaluating business decisions in this context. Utilitarianism highlights outcomes, deontology emphasizes duties.

Understanding these frameworks is essential for crafting policies and business strategies that not only advance technological efficiency but also ensure equity and responsibility, ultimately contributing to the achievement of SDG 12 for the long-term well-being of both society and the planet.

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Circular economy orientation from corporate social responsibility: A view based on structural equation modeling and a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis

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Circular economy orientation from corporate social responsibility: A view based on structural equation modeling and a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis

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Based on institutional theory and stakeholder theory, this study empirically tests the positive impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices on circular economy orientation using structural equation modeling and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis. It clarifies the correlation mechanism between the two within the framework of sustainable development and provides quantitative support for understanding the integration path of business ethics and circular economy.