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The UK potentially stands on the threshold of a transformative economic shift that could deliver £75bn in GDP growth and create half a million jobs by 2030.
In its manifesto, the UK government committed to deliver a circular economy and develop a strategy for England. Defra set up the Circular Economy Taskforce in 2024 and has been working to co-design this key framework. The much-anticipated strategy and sector roadmaps are due for consultation this autumn.
ISEP’s Circular Economy Steering Group has been shaping policy recommendations that stress the need for a systems-based approach and to align policy, regulation, investment, infrastructure and workforce development. The group argues that the circular economy is an opportunity to build prosperity and resilience in the economy while decoupling material use from growth. It’s also an opportunity to secure the UK’s place at the forefront of this emerging market globally.
The group recommends a fiscal framework review to level the playing field between virgin and circular materials, making refurbishment, remanufacture and recycling economically competitive. It advises embedding circularity standards in procurement and trade, and aligning investment strategies with regional and sectoral development needs identified in the Industrial Strategy.
This requires a comprehensive skills review and development across all career stages to ensure communities nationwide benefit from emerging opportunities. The transition’s local and global social implications also require assessment to ensure an equitable approach that maximises benefits while addressing community impacts.
To drive accountability, sector roadmaps should be underpinned by robust resource productivity targets, enabling transparent progress evaluation. The group recognises the need to remove regulatory barriers to circular innovation and for home-grown circular enterprises to have targeted support to help them scale up.
Lastly, infrastructure development should encompass material recovery facilities – especially for critical materials – and sustainable logistics networks to efficiently move skilled workers and products across the system, as well as digital infrastructure and standards necessary for system-wide transformation.
Agnes Chruszcz is ISEP's policy and engagement lead for circular economy and social sustainability
In August, the Impact Assessment Network published the latest volume of the Impact Assessment Outlook Journal, ‘Recruitment and Retention in Impact Assessment’.
This landmark edition explores the profession’s most pressing challenges: recruitment and retention. It is guest edited by Juliette Callaghan, partner at Trium Environmental Consulting and chair of ISEP’s Impact Assessment Steering Group.
Impact assessment (IA) is a profession with purpose. It safeguards people and the environment, drives better project design, and ensures that decision-making is transparent and informed. Yet, to continue achieving these outcomes, the sector must attract, nurture and retain a resilient and diverse workforce. This edition brings together thought pieces from leading practitioners from around the world, each sharing innovative solutions and personal reflections on how we can strengthen our profession for the future.
Highlights include Ireland’s sectoral training response, which is building capacity through new micro-credentials and national collaboration; Waterman’s apprenticeship scheme, offering structured pathways for early-career professionals; and practical strategies for embedding soft skills alongside technical expertise. Contributions also explore the role of competency frameworks, professional development and inclusive workplace practices in retaining talent. The IA Outlook Journal is free to download at www.isepglobal.org
Rufus Howard is ISEP's policy and engagement lead for impact assessment
ISEP continues to engage with policymakers and stakeholders across the environmental and sustainability agenda.#
We recently brought together members and experts for a roundtable discussion with Dr Emily Nurse, head of net zero at the Climate Change Committee (CCC). Nurse explained the CCC’s view on sector-specific priorities for the UK’s next carbon budget, followed by a discussion with ISEP members. Key points included:
1) Certainty for business: carbon budgets remain a central tool for reducing emissions while offering businesses valuable certainty to plan and invest for the long term.
2) Progress and challenges: while there has been progress, the speed of decarbonisation varies across sectors, with significant challenges ahead.
On 23 September, ISEP members and experts met with Natural England for a roundtable focusing on opportunities to strengthen collaboration on nature recovery and environmental governance.
In October, ISEP will join a Broadway Initiative event with Ed Miliband, secretary of state for energy security and net zero, as speaker. It will explore how the UK can accelerate progress on its climate and sustainability goals.
Asim Ali is ISEP's senior public affairs officer
The ISEP Environmental Management Network is set to publish an advice note on water stewardship.
Organisations that are effective water stewards have a clear understanding of their own water use, the context of the catchment area in which they operate, and the shared risks linked to water governance, availability, quality and water-dependent ecosystems. With this knowledge, organisations can take meaningful action to deliver benefits for their organisation, people and nature.
The advice note explores how current water stewardship frameworks – such as the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) – can enhance the effectiveness of the ISO 14001 environmental management system (EMS) standard.
An EMS can set the initial system governance foundation for holistic environmental management. An AWS framework delivers an in-depth context with a community focus needed for effective water stewardship within a catchment area, which helps organisations understand where they should focus their efforts, identifying associated challenges and opportunities.
This advice note highlights how actions from ISO 14001 and AWS frameworks interlink, enabling more robust, context-driven water management. It considers the key benefits of incorporating water stewardship into an EMS, with practical steps for getting started.
Biodiversity net gain (BNG) was introduced in England in 2024, mandating at least a 10% uplift in biodiversity for developments. Since then there has been much analysis of take-up, challenges, case studies and economic value, as well as a consultation to abolish BNG for smaller developments.
BNG is a world-leading mechanism for offsetting biodiversity losses from development. In England, mandatory BNG has been operating across major and small-scale developments, currently excluding Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects. This marks a bold step towards the quantification of biodiversity loss, which has previously been lacking.
Sites that previously would not have fully addressed habitat and species losses must now do so, and any lost habitats are compensated either on or offsite. This is a positive step towards halting biodiversity losses and promoting nature’s recovery. Marine net gain preparation remains in development (see the ISEP webinar, autumn 2024, at www.bit.ly/MNG-webinar).
A new paper to be published soon, developed by the ISEP Biodiversity and Natural Capital Network, will give a broad overview of key insights and learnings so far. It covers the BNG register; local nature recovery strategies in England; what’s happening in Scotland and Wales; the local planning authority perspective; the changing planning and legislative landscape; legal agreements; farming; and more.
The paper is aimed at all stakeholders, including landowners, ecologists and local authorities.
Lesley Wilson is ISEP's policy and engagement lead for biodiversity and natural capital
