Instruments for Change is a collaborative project of the United Nations Division for Sustainable Development and the International Insitute for Sustainable Development (IISD).

This compendium of innovative policy instruments for changing consumption and production patterns will serve as a source of practical suggestions and examples of what governments can do to enhance, facilitate, regulate and inform concerning production and consumption.

The internet site has been accessible since August 1997. This site includes sections on Definitions and Concepts, Key Sources, Project Information, and, most importantly, the Compendium of Instruments. The compendium currently comprises about a hundred instruments, including regulatory, market-based, socail, and other instruments, which are currently in place in countries all over the world.

For each policy instrument, the compendium includes information on the implementing country and agency, the economic sector, target groups, and stakeholders of the policy measure. It also includes information on the environmental and development objective, the implementation date, a detailed description and - if available - evaluation of the policy measure, related policy targets and instrument mixes, and a source of further information.

Key websites on sustainable production and consumption

• UN Division for Sustainable Development
• International Institute for Environment and Development
• OECD
• Norwegian Ministry of the Environment