IEMA has welcomed the publication of a new report urging the next UK government to introduce business reforms on resource efficiency.
The Aldersgate group report, Resource efficient business models: the roadmap to resilience and prosperity, was published in March and its conclusions have received strong backing from IEMA.
The Institute's lead on sustainable resource management, Josh Fothergill, said: "There is absolutely no doubt that resource efficiency measures will become crucial to every business in the future.
Organisations that are early adopters of sustainable resource management practices are really reaping the rewards. The next government has an opportunity to take the lead and implement centralised, mandatory schemes which will ensure that all UK businesses feel the benefit."
IEMA is a member of the Aldersgate group and is quoted in the report, advocating the impact initiatives such as mandatory greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting have had on reducing energy use and achieving financial savings.
IEMA states in the report: "Working with environment and sustainability professionals we have established that GHG reporting is an effective and supportive driver for carbon reduction, energy efficiency and associated financial savings. The benefits often arise over the medium term, with annual disclosure helping businesses to share and to communicate narratives on their transition towards a low carbon future."
The recommendations in the report reflect those made by IEMA in its 2014 publication From waste to resources. It also argued for a radical shake-up of resource management to maximise every business's chance of achieving potential savings of £1 million.
The IEMA report and its companion business briefing and resource action maturity planner (RAMP) tool are available at iema.net/rm.
