The Mayor hopes that by encouraging businesses to sign up to the code they will boost the use of recycled materials which will help guarantee markets for recycled products. And Mr Livingstone has told businesses: “Remember, if you are not buying recycled then you are not recycling.”
The code has been developed by London Remade and supported by the Mayor. London Remade has developed the code to help the capital meet its recycling targets as it has calculated that London will need to recover 3.8 million tonnes of waste by 2015 which compares to only one million tonnes at present. Last June, the Mayor launched the idea of a code and following months of business breakfasts and discussions with representatives from a range of FTSE top 100 companies a green code has now been written.
London Remade mailed questions to 2,000 companies asking them their current policy on recycling and carried out the consultations because they wanted to understand what different stakeholders felt about the environment so they could define a charter which would response to businesses' needs. “It is a complicated process so we need to make sure that businesses are driving the initiative so that the infrastructure is there.”
Difference
The key behind the code is showing businesses that buying recycled does not have to be risky and that by signing up to the code they will make a difference to their shareholders and stakeholders as well as to London as a whole. Mr Livingstone said: “A strategy cannot work if businesses feel that they are doing something that harms their success.”
London Remade has already signed up a large number of companies to the code and hopes that increased support will “provide the impetus for producers to invest in bringing new, high-quality recycled materials to the market. This creates a business solution to the waste crisis and helps London become a more sustainable city. Without the support of the whole community – business, local government and citizens – recycling initiatives cannot work. But together we can make it happen.”
The code has four-levels which allows organisations to make an appropriate commitment. Companies can sign up to A1 level support where they will have to take part in general discussions about recycled products or A2 support where they will have one-to-one discussions about opportunities for specifying and purchasing recycled products
Specifications
For a higher level of support (B1) companies can sign up so that they have to provide baseline data about recycled purchases and specifications and for B2 level support they need to commit to measurable targets for specifying and buying recycled products.
London Remade is also asking companies to sponsor the code. For major businesses they are asking for 6,000+ and for smaller businesses and organisations, 3,000. And, as part of the initiative, London Remade and the Mayor are encouraging businesses to trail a range of recycled stationery products. For further information visit: londonremade.com .
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