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Increasing resource efficiencyand reducing wastage To achieve our vision we need to address material resource use during all stages of the design, production and consumption of goods and services. We have termed this 'engaging the process chain'. In addition to ‘top down’ action driven by new
legislation and fiscal instruments, there is an important role for local
action in effecting the necessary change. This chapter sets out what
should be done. What is the Process Chain? The process chain is the cycle of activities involved with production and use of goods and products. There are five stages in the process chain which have separate impacts on the use of material resources. An objective for action has been developed for each one. Design A sustainably designed product takes into account the environmental, social and economic impacts throughout its entire life cycle – from concept through to disposal, or ideally as raw material for new products. During the design phase decisions are made about what materials are used and how durable, upgradeable and recyclable a product will be. Engaging designers in sustainability issues is key to the development of more resource-efficient products, for example there are many opportunities presented by the use of renewable raw materials made from non-food crops. Objective:
Sustainable business practices, e.g. through more efficient processes in manufacturing, production and assembly can result in financial savings for business. The drivers for change are increased awareness of the opportunities and the environmental impact of existing production techniques. Improved productivity and innovation could give our area economic and social benefits through being ‘early adopters’ of better materials management, so that local businesses can gain a commercial edge through the take-up of resource productivity and innovation. Objective:
Retailers have two elements in this debate. The first is as businesses which need to adopt the sustainable business agenda. The second relates to their role as the interface between the producer and the consumer. Retailers can influence consumer choice and raise awareness of more resource or energy efficient products. As a result retailers need to demand products with these attributes from their suppliers, thereby assisting in the design and manufacture of products that are more material resource efficient. For example, some materials could be removed from the unavoidable waste stream by switching to ‘lease and return’ supply systems. Objective:
Procurement means the ‘obtaining of supplies’ and relates to products or services in both the private and public sectors. Procurement affects all stages of the process chain, from a designer’s decision to use certain materials, to a large company’s decision to purchase a particular type of furniture and what happens to it at the end of its life. Organisational procurement in the private and public sectors can act as a major driver in changing supply chains and business practices. This aspect of procurement should be the focus for action. Objective:
Consumption issues affect us all. We need to consume products in a more efficient and responsible manner. To do this, we need to better understand why products are consumed, what their purpose is and what their impacts are. Changing the attitudes of people is a long-term issue which may require a national approach. The challenge is to build the case for change and encourage people to take responsibility for their own actions. This is an important but complicated and difficult area of work, especially in evaluating the overall impact of any action. Objective:
The main sectors involved with the process chain and which need targeting are: Local Authorities Local Authorities are amongst the largest spenders
locally. By using their buying power in the market place they can
stimulate demand for sustainable goods and services. They also have a
role in encouraging others to take action and in providing community
leadership. Public Sector The rest of the public sector also has a huge impact. Their buying power could be used to influence the market place to stimulate demand for sustainable goods and services. The public sector is in part being driven down this route by Government guidance and targets.
Government at European Union, national and regional levels sets the strategic and legislative agenda and can help stabilise national markets. We need to influence them to try ensure that there is a supportive ‘bigger picture’ to help achieve our objectives.
There are over 40,000 businesses in our area, ranging from international corporations to small enterprises. They use varying amounts of material resources. Each of these businesses has an opportunity to save money and resources. They can also improve their market share through innovation and the development of new products and services. There is scope for local businesses to cooperate with the aim of reducing resource inputs, costs, savings on waste management and delivering new products. This is called industrial symbiosis.
There are over 1.6 million members of the community in our area who have a huge impact. We need to persuade them to do their bit to contribute. Project Integra has a particular imperative to achieve behaviour change in reducing waste volumes and increasing recycling. The cost of dealing with household waste is increasing year on year and the Government has imposed challenging recycling targets. Reducing volumes and increasing recycling are now the most effective means of reducing costs, and thus the impact on the council tax. Unlike with business waste producers who have to pay to have their waste dealt with, there is currently no direct financial incentive on householders to reduce their waste or maximise recycling. For example, Hampshire householders only set out on average 30% of targeted material which can be recycled at kerbside despite 95% of properties having kerbside collection. Project Integra has implemented a major research and communication programme to address these issues and it is important that this work continues.
Ensuring people have the knowledge and skills to deliver material resource management objectives is vital. This impacts both on the formal education system (e.g. young people at school) and the training and professional development sector (e.g. ensuring architects and engineers are aware of construction opportunities). We need to ensure that the issues surrounding material resource use and sustainable development are taught at appropriate stages in the education process.
A framework for delivering actions to achieve these objectives can be provided by grouping the actions together under four main headings. Raising Awareness We need to increase understanding of the impact of behaviour to instigate change. The environmental, social and economic benefits of more resource efficient products, services and techniques need to be highlighted in the first instance. There is a need to:
In addition to raising awareness, we need to stimulate people to change their current practices. To influence a particular sector we need to identify what drives that sector and develop specific messages and opportunities to change their behaviour. As an example, using carrot and sticks such as the plastic bag tax in Eire. There is a need to:
Recycling will only be sustainable if new products are made from the recovered materials and people purchase those products. Markets for recovered materials such as paper, glass, steel and aluminium operate on a global or national level. For such materials there is a very limited opportunity to develop new bulk markets locally given the high costs of land and labour. There are however niche markets for the development of local specialist high-value products made using materials such as glass. Such opportunities should be pursued. Other recovered materials such as construction and demolition, bio-waste and wood are largely locally traded materials. They depend on local markets. It is important that these materials are promoted locally to ensure sustainable outlets. Activities in this area should therefore have a focus on:
It is important that new opportunities to promote and maximise the re-use, recycling, composting and recovery of materials are identified. These activities are often dependent upon businesses, organisations and individuals separating out their materials and putting them out for collection. In many cases this is reliant upon financial viability in order to happen. There is a need for awareness raising and education to help bring about the necessary behaviour change. There is a need to:
Impacts The challenge is to define specific impacts from the above activities. Many of them are long-term and there is the lack of historic data on material resource usage and efficiency. This issue needs to be addressed so that specific performance indicators can be developed for the process chain work. The one indicator that can currently be measured and monitored is waste production. The overall amount of waste produced has grown at over 3% per annum over the past 15 years. A general assessment of future conditions suggests it is likely that future legislative and economic pressures to reduce waste (particularly in the business sector) could reduce the growth figure to about 2% per annum. This is a ‘Business as Usual’ prediction. The plan and model set out above for engaging the process chain goes beyond ‘Business as Usual’. It is a ‘Stretching Best Practice’ approach which should enable a better outcome to be achieved. In the absence of any more robust means of predicting likely impacts, the current Regional Waste Strategy target is a challenging one for us to aspire to. This involves reducing growth of all waste to 1% per annum by 2010 and 0.5% per annum by 2020. The diagram below shows the challenge involved in achieving the Regional Waste Strategy target, compared to a projected growth rates of 2% and 3%. In simple terms, the delivery programme must achieve a year on year reduction in waste growth each year to 2020. This will result in an approximate one million tonnes reduction in waste produced per annum by 2020, when compared to ongoing growth at 2% per annum.
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