Resources and Waste Strategy for England

In other countries, Defra’s new document published on 18th December would have been called “A Circular Economy Strategy”. Instead, it is about resource efficiency, natural capital, product design and using extended producer responsibility to improve waste management outcomes. And there is nothing wrong with that…it is largely pragmatic, forward-thinking and respectful of the evidence base used to inform the circular economy framework promoted by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Oakdene Hollins contributed evidence concerning

  1. Product priorities for EPR (tyres, mattresses, furniture, carpets)

  2. Resource efficiency in business

  3. Deposit Return Systems (a focus on “On the Go”)

  4. Remanufacturing

  5. Product Ecolabels.

On each of these topic areas, there is much to commend in this new Government Strategy. If it is used to guide policy in the UK and beyond, the outcome will be a more circular economy delivered by businesses and demanded by customers. That’s what we want too.

Oakdene Hollins