‘UK’s first’ product sustainability forum launched

A groundbreaking forum which will tackle the environmental footprint of everyday products has been launched today (June 21).

The Product Sustainability Forum (PSF) brings together more than 80 organisations including retailers, suppliers, environmental charities, academics and UK governments in the first collaboration of its kind.It will take the lead on addressing environmental and sustainability issues that arise from making and selling products.

Greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, water use, reliance on raw materials, product-related waste and packaging will all come under the spotlight.

According to WRAP, which set up the forum,10 tonnes of fuel and materials are used on average for every tonne of products consumed, rising to 100 tonnes if water is included. And, the amount of basic resources (fossil fuels, metals, minerals, timber and other crops) that are extracted from the environment has increased by 50% and is projected to rise by a further 40% in the next 20 years. The majority of these resources were not recaptured.

Taking a joined-up approach to researching, measuring, communicating and reducing the environmental impact of a range of consumer goods – from dairy products and DIY materials to soft drinks and tinned groceries – the groups focus will span the whole of a products life.

Set up in response to discussions with industry and governments, the forum is chaired by WRAP’s chief executive, Dr Liz Goodwin.

Dr Goodwin said: The scale of the challenge is enormous. For example, the British Retail Consortium estimates that the retail sector alone accounts for around 3.5% of the UKs carbon emissions, and the retail supply chain, for more than 30%.

Isolation

Many companies already measure the environmental impact of their products but until now, this has always been done in isolation, and the methodology and results have not been shared. By working together, we have a real opportunity to minimise the effect our activities have on the planet.

Commenting on the forum, environment minister, Lord Taylor of Holbeach, said: The Product Sustainability Forum is an excellent example of collaboration between businesses, NGOs, academics and Government. Together we can analyse and understand the complex range of environmental issues associated with thousands of every day products and work towards improving them.

First

The forum marks a shift away from simply concentrating on a single issue like packaging, towards a focus on a products whole life. It is hoped that this will deliver a number of benefits reducing costs, improving resource efficiency, and securing the future supply of products for consumer use.

With the current focus on the challenges of sustainability being discussed at the Rio+20 Summit this week, and the UKs own carbon targets very much in mind, the group will play a critical role in both driving down CO2 emissions and reducing other environmental impacts of the way we resource, manufacture and sell goods, said Dr Goodwin.

The forum is currently assessing the evidence, and identifying grocery and DIY products where theres most opportunity to improve environmental performance.

This is not only about identifying the products themselves, but also where in the lifecycle any action would have the most effect, said Dr Goodwin.

Action

The next step will be the publication of a report which identifies priorities for action, along with plans developed by member organisations to tackle these. The report is due to be published in the autumn.

Dr Goodwin added: The PSF vision is that every-day products should be designed with resource efficiency in mind, minimising environmental impact and encouraging sustainable consumption and production. With more than 80 organisations supporting these goals, along with the support from all the UK governments, were determined that to make progress towards this vision a reality.

Its pretty unusual if not unique to see so many major organisations and brands working alongside one another and sharing best practice in order to find ways of making better use of all our resources, said Liz.

This demonstrates just how seriously organisations are taking the issue of sustainability and the impact of their manufacturing and retail processes.

Retail

Bob Gordon, head of environment at the British Retail Consortium, said: This new collaboration will help businesses find the best ways to manufacture, transport, store, display and dispose of a wide range of products so they have the smallest possible impact on the planet. Its truly ground-breaking.

As well as its focus on key products sold to consumers in the UK, the PSF is forging links with other national and international organisations to share learning and avoid duplication of effort.