The global middle class is predicted to increase by 50% to 4.9 billion in 2030, driving an increase in demand for more products and services. It is estimated that implementation of the SDGs by 2030 could generate in excess of $12 trillion a year in market opportunities. This reflects, in part, increasing consumer demand for products that reduce or eliminate negative environmental impacts with 75% of millennials (consumers born between 1981 and 1996) altering their buying habits with the environment in mind. Aligned with changing consumer habits, the UN One Planet Network and World Business Council for Sustainable Development launched the Good Life Goals to help individuals and businesses redefine how they consume and show how their purchasing behaviour impacts the environment.
Consumption patterns have also been changing to focus on either reducing consumption or sharing the benefits of a good rather than owning the good outright. Moreover, increased internet access has increased the proliferation of the sharing economy as reflected in the growth in companies such as Uber and Airbnb.