Inform Resources


NEW STUDY


Dumping used plastic bottles in landfill can sometimes be better for the environ- ment than recycling them, according to a controversial new report.


The study by


Californian consultants SRI Consulting suggests that in certain countries disposing of PET (polyethylene terephtha- late) plastic bottles in landfill generates the least carbon. This is true for most countries where there are few space lim- itations and limited recycling infrastructure, the report says. Mike Arné, assistant direc- tor of SRI’s Carbon Footprint Initiative, said: “The key to this is not in raising collection rates, but in improving yields, especially in sorting and, to a lesser extent, in reprocessing. “For countries without a


recycling infrastructure, the best choice may well be to landfill bottles.”


This is most likely to be the case in the developing world or in countries with large, sparsely populated areas.


Policies needed to design out waste


Leading manufacturers demand policy drivers and incentives


A group of top companies is calling on the Government to incentivise them to create more sustainable products and packaging. The Designing Out Waste Consortium, under the aegis of environment think tank Green Alliance, includes Asda, Boots UK, Royal Mail, Unilever, Valpak and Veolia.


The group says that all consumers want and expect businesses to provide them with better products with lower environmental impacts, and claims that businesses can and should play a role in designing out waste. But it argues that commercial and policy drivers must be correctly aligned to incentivise the right products. In a report, A Pathway to Greener Products, the group recommends that a progressive government framework for design- ing out waste should be put in


place. This would involve: ■


evaluating product impacts


Leading product manufacturers recognise the need to design out waste ■ ■ ■


tackling the generation of com- mercial and industrial waste


developing improved product standards


creating ‘upstream’ incentives to design out waste


Asda’s head of corporate policy for sustainability and ethics, Julian Walker-Palin, said: “While we believe that business acting alone can make significant moves


towards designing out waste in products it will also be essential to have in place the right public policy drivers to create a framework in which these activities can flourish.” Adrian Hawkes, director of policy at Valpak added: “We hope that this study will help the administration to develop its resource efficiency programme in a way which businesses can fully embrace.”


Defra keen on responsibility deals for industry


Henley points to Courtauld Commitment as example


The Government says that it wants to work with businesses to help them reduce their waste and increase recycling by establishing voluntary responsibility deals – much like the already established Courtauld Commitment.


The new concept, announced by Environment Minister Lord Henley, would remove the need for further regulation and lead to less waste and more recycling, accord- ing to Whitehall.


“As householders we all spend a lot of time trying to do the right thing with our waste and recycling, and rightly so,” said Lord Henley.


“But it’s equally important that businesses – both large and small – do the same. Twice as much waste comes from commerce and indus- try as from all households put together, so it’s critical that they play their part.”


Last month, the Secretary of State for Environment, Caroline Spelman, announced a full review of waste policy, stating businesses, like householders, should be encour- aged to do the right thing, rather than tied down or penalised with excessive rules and regulations. Lord Henley pointed to the good work carried out under existing voluntary agreements, like the Courtauld Commitment on grocery retail packaging and food


COURTAULD STEPS UP Support for the second com- ing of the waste reduction project, the Courtauld Commitment 2, is ramping by, with Defra commitment and new signatories. Burton Foods, Ferrero UK,


Greencore, Heineken UK, Moy Park and Dale Farm are the latest to become a part of the initiative, which launched in March and moves away from solely weight-based targets and aims to achieve more sus- tainable use of resources over the entire lifecycle of prod- ucts, throughout the whole supply chain.


waste, as a model for what can be achieved in the future.


According to Defra, “working with businesses, the voluntary responsibility deals on waste will look to deliver change that works for businesses and their cus- tomers”.


Lord Henley said that a number of sectors were under consideration for possible future voluntary responsibility deals, and that there would be close cooperation and active partnership with the busi- nesses concerned in developing the deals. “We see responsibility deals as an important part of drive towards a zero waste economy, and I hope that businesses will come forward with ideas,” he said.


BRIEFS THE YELLOW PAGES DIRECTORY HAS SLIMMED DOWN, LOSING FIVE CENTIMETRES IN HEIGHT AND FOUR CENTIMETRES IN WIDTH 12 | Sustainable Business | August/September 2010


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