ISEP members and other expert stakeholders gathered for a lunchtime roundtable yesterday to discuss the challenges and opportunities in developing a circular economy strategy for the UK. In this short blog, Ben Goodwin, ISEP's Director of Policy and Public Affairs, reflects on some of the key talking points.
We were delighted to be joined by Deirdre Costigan MP, the newly elected Labour MP for Ealing Southall, who kicked off the roundtable by setting out some reflections on where the policy landscape currently sits.
A key point was that the many policy strands that exist in the waste and resource space aren’t currently well integrated into a single strategy. The references here were to Extended Producer Responsibility, the Deposit Return Scheme, among others.
Drawing disparate policies into a coherent approach is what the government is aiming to do with its circular economy strategy which is to be developed by Defra’s new taskforce, which it has been recruiting for over the last few months.
Prior to becoming an MP Deidre was the Deputy Leader for Ealing Council and previously served as the Vice Chair of the Transport and Environment Committee for the London Councils and was Chair of West London Waste, so was well placed to share insights on some of the key issues impacting waste and resource management at the local level.
Shifting the UK’s economy from its current linear state to a circular one is imperative. Our approach to how we make, use and dispose of products and materials is no longer sustainable. It is a major cause of environmental damage and is helping to propel dangerous climate change.
Leading research from the Circle Economy Foundation suggests that over 90% of the UK’s material use comes from virgin sources and only 7.5% of materials are circled back into the UK economy after use. This must change drastically if we are serious about creating a greener future.
Key talking points that emerged during the roundtable discussion included the need to create the right regulatory conditions for private sector investment in the circular economy as well as the huge engagement campaign that is required to bring businesses on the journey. Particularly at the SME end of the spectrum.
Other contributors to the discussions remarked on the need for a shift away from production-based metrics for assessing economic performance, namely GDP, setting out instead the case for measuring resource productivity in terms of the extended lifecycle of products and services.
On waste and resource management specifically, the complexity of different systems, infrastructure networks and political jurisdictions was cited as a huge challenge to overcome in terms of developing the basis of a circular approach. Industrial symbiosis was mentioned as the potential solution in this context.
From a government point of view, it was also clear that the circular economy strategy, which Defra is developing, must bleed into other areas of Whitehall if it is a) going to cover what it needs to and b) be successful in that coverage. Energy, business, and of course Treasury, are of course all relevant in this respect.
If you'd like to know more about ISEP's work on the circular economy, please visit our steering group and member network page here.
As we head toward the end of the year, we'll be running a couple of further roundtables with parliamentarians on the following subjects:
How the Growth and Skills Levy Can Support Apprenticeships with Sarah Smith MP, National Mission Champion for Opportunity (28th November)
Energy efficiency in buildings (including the Future Homes Standard) with Luke Murphy MP, Chair, Climate Change APPG (4th December)
If you’d like to get in touch regarding our plans for roundtables with political stakeholders during 2025 you can do so at policy@iema.net.
Ben is Director of Policy and Public Affairs at ISEP. In this capacity he looks after the delivery of ISEP's core policy, practice and public affairs activities across a range of environmental and sustainability issues. Prior to joining the organisation Ben worked in several similar policy roles at organisations including the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Renewable Energy Association.
