RE: BULLETIN
BULLETIN
An Electricity Demand Reduction (EDR) consultation response was published in May as part of UK government plans to explore ways to incentivise an enhanced uptake of energy efficiency through the form of a capacity market mechanism that rewards energy users for investing in energy efficiency technologies. The UK Government proposes to amend the Energy Bill to set a financial incentive to deliver permanent reductions in electricity demand, open to a range of sectors and technologies. It is also considering whether to test the proposed approach via a pilot to gather evidence that will inform final decisions on an incentive. “Non-financial options could also play a role in reducing electricity demand and potentially help augment the impact of a financial incentive. We will consider non-financial options further and report on these in the 2013 update to the Energy Efficiency Strategy,” says the Government. It also highlights that smart meters could provide a good evidence base in the future, “particularly facilitating a much more detailed understanding of energy use in homes and businesses”. Minimum Energy Performance Standards will be set from 2018 as laid down in the UK’s Energy Bill. This means that buildings below an ‘E’ rating – although this could be subject to change – must be brought up to standards before they can be sold or leased to the market. Commercial properties and public buildings currently account for nearly 25% of the UK’s carbon emissions.
HBCDD, a highly problematic persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic flame retardant, will be banned under the Stockholm convention, a global legally binding treaty regulating the use of persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’
(Defra) National Adaptation Programme (NAP) will be launched on July 2. Defra is also consulting on funding for the Waste & Resources Action Programme’s (WRAP) work in England. The consultation closed on May 24 and could have implications for the work WRAP does with retailers and manufacturers, for example the Courtauld Commitment, Product Sustainability Forum, Sustainable Clothing Action Plan, Federation House Commitment, and the way that work is funded.
The EU Energy Efficiency Directive, that includes
reference to EU Energy Audits and lays out proposals for all non SMEs (as defined by the directive), is to be audited every four years by December 2015 unless covered by an internationally recognised reporting standard. The European Parliament’s environment committee
will vote on June 20 on proposed changes to F-Gas regulation. Rapporteur Dutch Green MEP Bas Eickhout’s report includes proposals to strengthen containment and recovery measures, earlier bans for hermetically sealed equipment and additional bans on new refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment containing HFCs, with stationary equipment (other than centrifugal chillers) banned from 2020 and mobile equipment (other than fishing vessels) from 2025. The European Commission’s draft proposal, made public on November 7 2012, calls for a gradual HFC phase-down, with a freeze in 2015, first reduction step in 2016 and reaching 21% of the HFC quantities sold in 2008-2011 by 2030. A European Commission consultation on a sustainable food communication is due to be published soon. An accompanying Impact Assessment will reveal possible strategies and policy options. This will be partly based on a study commissioned by DG Environment titled “Assessment of Resource Efficiency in the Food Cycle” and the public consultation. HBCDD, a highly problematic persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic flame retardant, will be banned under the Stockholm convention, a global legally binding treaty regulating the use of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). This was agreed and formally endorsed by parties of the convention at a meeting in Geneva in May. HBCDD, also referred to as HBCD, will be the 23rd substance to be added to the annex A of the Stockholm convention, meaning that it must be eliminated, in comparison with substances listed in annex B which are subject to restrictions. In the EU HBCDD will also be highly regulated from August 2015, as part of the authorisation procedure of the REACH regulation. There will be a five-year exemption from the Stockholm convention ban for expanded and extruded polystyrene, however manufacturers using this exemption will have to make sure that HBCDD is clearly identifiable through the life cycle of products. Polystyrene insulation represents about one third of the building insulation market in the EU. HBCDD will be the 23rd substance to be added to the annex A of the Stockholm convention.
JUNE 2013 | RETAIL ENVIRONMENT 63
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68