The Department for the Economy has launched a public consultation on the draft Circular Economy Strategy for Northern Ireland.
The Department for the Economy says the draft strategy sets out the aim that by 2050, Northern Ireland will have an “innovative, inclusive and competitive” economy where business, people and the planet can “flourish”, with responsible production and consumption at its core.
It says the strategy will be a key enabler of Northern Ireland’s 10X Economic Vision for a decade of innovation.
The Department for the Economy says it has worked with all government departments to develop the draft strategy, in collaboration with external stakeholders from local government, the private sector, academia, the voluntary and community sectors and others.
The overarching target is to halve Northern Ireland’s annual material footprint per person to 8 tonnes by 2050. The draft strategy sets out how this can be achieved by switching to materials that can be reused, increasing the use of fuels that can be replenished, designing things to be kept in use for longer and reducing waste.
The public consultation is open for 10 weeks until Monday 20 March 2023. There will be three virtual consultation events for members of the public who want to learn more about the draft strategy.
The draft strategy is available at Circular Economy Strategy for Northern Ireland, alongside supporting documentation including information on how to register for the virtual consultation events.