Calls for recovery plans to focus on environment

This was followed yesterday (1 June) by a letter signed by more than 200 UK business leaders, including the chief executives of Cory, Suez and Veolia, urging Boris Johnson to deliver a Covid-19 recovery plan which aligns with the UK’s wider climate goals.

Europe

On Friday, May 29, FEAD issued a statement saying more waste recycling is key to achieving a circular economy, fighting climate change by avoiding CO2 emissions, and creating sustainable jobs.

Published two days before, the EU’s proposed recovery plan brings its total budget to €1.85 trillion.

Peter Kurth, FEAD’s president, said: “No doubt that waste recycling is a best environmental option. But it suffers from a lack of competitiveness compared to the use of virgin materials that do not incorporate environmental costs.

“The unprecedented proposed EU recovery plan will be followed by more detailed allocation of EU support.

“This is the perfect time for European Commission to foresee a massive support through EU funds for reducing massive landfilling, developing selective waste collection schemes, investing in sorting installations, starting, and strengthening activities in the whole recycling and recovery chain.

“Last but not least, the tax on non-recycled plastic has definitely to be further explored as an own EU budget resource.”

Policies

FEAD says concrete policy and economic instruments are necessary to achieve the circular economy objectives and create a strong demand for recyclates.

It has called on the European Commission to lay down mandatory recycled content rules on specific products and mandatory rules on green public procurement.

The EU should implement more efficient waste shipment procedures and EU-wide end-of-waste criteria on certain flows to improve the functioning of the internal market for secondary raw materials, FEAD says.

Businesses

This was followed by 206 business leaders including the chief executives of HSBC, the National grid and Heathrow airport urging Boris Johnson to embrace economic recovery plans that supported long term climate goals.

Over 200 businesses have signed a letter to @10DowningStreet urging the UK government to set out a clean, inclusive and resilient #covid19 recovery plan ➡️ https://t.co/tbYOUiYRxc#FutureWeWant #BuildBackBetter #AimForZero@AldersgateGroup @UKGBC @BITC @IIGCCnews

— Corporate Leaders Groups (@ClimateCLG) June 1, 2020

Together they called on the UK to “deliver a clean, just recovery, that creates quality employment and builds a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient UK economy for the future”.

Among them was Chris Sheppard, chief executive of global scrap metal company European Metal Recycling (EMR). He said: “The recycling and waste management sector is an inherently low carbon industry that already plays an important part in the creation of a circular economy.

“Businesses like ours are ideally placed to drive positive change on the road to net zero.

“We look forward to working closely with the government and our partners in the waste and recycling sectors to champion the circular economy, sustainable materials and zero waste solutions in the post-Covid recovery.

“We welcome conversations with like-minded businesses on how we can accelerate the journey to net zero.

“Together, we must respond to the threat of global climate change while building a more sustainable, resilient UK economy.”