Libby Peake, head of resource policy at Green Alliance, explores how the new Environment Secretary can achieve his goal of moving Britain to a zero waste economy.
How can the new government reboot much-delayed resources policy and support a more resilient and prosperous economy?
After taking over the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra), Steve Reed instructed civil servants to get to work on a plan to make the UK a zero waste economy.
It’s entirely right for him to focus on getting more out of resources. Green Alliance’s work has consistently shown that this has many benefits, and it’s been a major theme of our work for the Circular Economy Task Force, a forum for policy, innovation and business thinking on resource use.
Significantly, resource efficiency measures cut more carbon than most other climate policies, with the potential to reduce emissions by two billion tonnes by 2050.
Our throwaway culture is increasingly unsustainable
The Green Finance Institute claims that damage to the natural environment is slowing down the UK economy and could lead to a 12% fall in GDP, greater than that caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
As Ray Georgeson MBE, head of policy at task force member Zero Waste Scotland, said: “Ultimately, we’re consuming too many resources and far greater ambition is needed to drive change across the economy and deliver the needed benefits to the environment and society.”
An ambitious resources strategy – one that moves beyond what happens at the end of a product’s life – will create jobs in the industries of the future. For a start, the government could ramp up the reforms already in train on packaging.
Paul Vanston, Chief Executive Officer at task force member the Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment believes that “government acting at pace with verve and jointly with business will accelerate the achievement of zero waste with a packaging circular economy at its heart.”
But the road to zero waste should look well beyond packaging and well beyond recycling, too.
Circular economy opportunities
Adam Read MBE, Chief External Affairs and Sustainability Officer at Circular Economy Task Force member SUEZ, said: “Resources policy has typically focused on end of life and waste, which means it misses out on the much bigger opportunities of reducing waste and increasing reuse.”
It doesn’t have to be this way. Recent PwC analysis for the task force clearly showed that innovative businesses can profit from reuse in the clothing industry in particular.
Wider Green Alliance analysis also revealed that a much more ambitious approach to repair, re-manufacturing, reuse and recycling could create over 450,000 jobs by 2035, including thousands of new jobs in occupations currently suffering high rates of unemployment.
So how can Steve Reed actually fulfil the Labour manifesto commitment to a circular economy? He’s right to look to the Netherlands for inspiration.
What can the UK learn from the Netherlands?
The Netherlands has set an ambition to halve raw material consumption by 2030, complemented by specific goals for high-impact sectors like construction, the largest producer of waste and a major emitter of greenhouse gases.
Without a national resource reduction target to focus minds, the UK’s material footprint – the food, fuel, metal and mineral resources extracted to meet final demand in the UK – jumped in 2021.
It’s currently sitting at 16.5 tonnes per person annually, more than double what the UN says is sustainable. Our research shows that a target to bring the UK’s material footprint to within planetary limits would be effective in driving action across the economy.
To realise the benefit of getting more out of resources across the economy, Steve Reed needs support from across the government.
Here, the Netherlands shows what’s possible, having pushed for better resource use across the whole of its government. Stientje van Veldhoven was the Dutch cabinet member responsible for the environment when the commitment to reduce material consumption was made.
She championed the circular economy internationally, pushing EU Green Deal commitments on reuse and organising a World Circular Economy Forum to join the dots between resource use and climate change.
Her enthusiasm meant all Dutch government departments backed the circular economy ambition, and the previous Dutch coalition agreement included at least 11 references to it.
How sustainability can drive economic growth
In England, this is the traditional territory of Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). It owns much of the relevant legislation around resources, including producer responsibility and environmental targets.
However, making more out of the resources we use needs to be a cross-departmental priority, just like in the Netherlands. That’s how we can increase economic growth through improved resource productivity while realising the benefits of a greener economy.
Keith James, Head of Policy & Insights at WRAP, another task force member, observed that “buy-in from across government – including and especially from Treasury – is going to be key to success.”
The Treasury is central, with its focus on growth and governmental spending. But the Cabinet Office, which coordinates government priorities and leads on public procurement, must have a stake, as should the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, as resource use drives carbon emissions.
There’s also an important role for industrial strategy under the Department for Business and Trade and the newly renamed Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which oversees the material-intensive housing sector.
Getting more from our resources means we can meet our needs more effectively, which will translate into economic resilience for the country.
The new government seems to have recognised this opportunity, but it will need to do things differently. It can draw inspiration from pioneers like the Netherlands, and it will find ready partners in civil society and business.
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