The Mayor is addressing a reception for the chief executives of the FTSE 100 companies and London borough councils which will form the first part of developing a green code of practice.
London Remade has 5.4 million to develop markets for recyclable materials and this includes carrying out a consultation process to establish a green procurement code. The code is a blank piece of paper at the moment and so London Remade is also holding a series of business breakfasts to encourage decision makers to get together and discuss want they would want from such a code.
Hugh Carr Harris, chief executive of London Remade, said: “We want to understand what different stakeholders feel about the environment and want people to sit down together and raise their concerns and then we can build up to a charter which we will be asking people to sign up to.”
Ken Livingstone said: “I very much hope that businesses and local authorities across London will join the GLA in taking a leadership role in this partnership. Central to my strategy is that businesses commit only to a policy that is of mutual benefit to themselves and the community of London. A strategy cannot work if businesses feel that they are doing something that harms their success.”
London Remade believes a code is needed to enable the capital to meet its recycling targets as it has calculated that London will need to recover 3.8 million tonnes of waste by 2015 which compares with about one million tonnes today. And that by 2015 London will need to recycle 1.9 million tonnes of materials an increase of 1.5 million tonnes over 1999/00 recycling levels.
Practical code
Hugh Carr Harris, chief executive of London Remade, said: “This is a process that should involve as many London businesses and local authorities as possible, so that we get a practical code to which everyone can feel committed. We are mailing questions to 2,000 companies which will ask them their current policy on recycling. We are encouraging companies to separate their recyclables and procure recycled products.” The initiative follows the results of a London Remade survey which shows that the public consider green policies to be the most important factor in influencing their view of a company's commitment to society.
Mr Carr Harris added: “There are a lot of codes around that aren't being backed up and we want to make sure that the green procurement code is. We need to get residents and leading businesses in London to recycle and to buy recycled. Attitudes towards waste are changing as a result of targets and we need to get businesses thinking that signing up to the green procurement code will make a difference to their shareholders and stakeholders and to London as a whole.
“It is a complicated process so we need to make sure that businesses are driving the initiative so that the infrastructure is there. With glass we generated interest with RMC but we couldn't supply enough material, this time we want to create demand and supply at the same time.”
The project hopes to develop new recycled products which are as good in quality as similar non-recycled products and competitive in price. Mr Carr Harris said: “Buying recycled doesn't have to be a big risk. Products can be bought at the same price not true to say that al
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