Resource efficiency key to growth, says CBI

17th January 2012


Newscbi

Related Topics

Related tags

  • Procurement ,
  • EMS ,
  • Management ,
  • Recycling ,
  • Natural resources

Author

IEMA

Policymakers and business leaders need to recognise that resource efficiency makes both business and environmental sense, and will be key to the UK's future economy, says a new report from the CBI.

Launching the report, Made to last – creating a resource efficient economy, at a joint CBI and Green Alliance conference on resource security, Neil Bentley, deputy director-general of the employers’ organisation, said: “There’s a business case for acting, and a threat to our growth prospects if we don’t.”

Bentley criticised the existing response of UK policymakers, saying that too many different government departments at too many different levels are coming up with their own ways of dealing with the problem of resource efficiency.

Speaking at the same event, business secretary Vince Cable called on industry to take the lead by closing the loop, so that resources are used again and again. Cable’s call was echoed by EU environment commissioner, Janez Potočnik, who said that design and finance will be key to creating a “circular” economy in Europe.

“If every company could afford to carry out a proper life-cycle costing of its operations and products, and consumers were properly informed, then waste could be prevented, products recycled and reused,” he said.

Potočnik reminded the audience that some resources have no price. “This is particularly true of our natural capital, our ecosystems and biodiversity,” he said.

“Some seem to find it fashionable to claim that protecting nature goes against growth, and that it is too expensive in an economic crisis. My response is this – tell that to people and businesses who have been ruined by floods because of planning decisions taken without assessing environmental impacts!”


Transform articles

Leading the way

IEMA CEO Sarah Mukherjee MBE talks to Rachel Kyte about diplomacy, women’s leadership, diversity and transforming energy systems

28th September 2023

Read more

Rick Gould looks at the options for decarbonising cement

28th September 2023

Read more

The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) has this week granted permission for drilling at the controversial Rosebank oil and gas field located 80 miles north-west of Shetland.

28th September 2023

Read more

Alec Tang considers how breaking down siloed thinking and embracing cross-cutting systems thinking is essential in meeting our challenges.

26th September 2023

Read more

What is PAS 2080 (aka PAS 2080:2023), and why is it so important for the environment, environmental professionals and businesses as a whole? Conor McCone CEnv, carbon manager at Skanska UK, Lara Young CEnv, global head of ESG at Cromwell Property Group, and Chris Landsburgh CEnv, technical director for decarbonisation at AECOM, explain.

8th September 2023

Read more

Jordan Turner, PhD student at the University of Wolverhampton and graduate surveyor at Frasers Group, explores the barriers that must be overcome to deliver sustainable housing.

8th September 2023

Read more

Countries in the Global South are trapped in relying on fossil fuel production to repay debts, a new report from the charity Debt Justice claims.

22nd August 2023

Read more

UK households are installing solar panels and heat pumps at a greater rate than ever before, with a 62% year-on-year increase taking place over the first half of 2023.

15th August 2023

Read more

Media enquires

Looking for an expert to speak at an event or comment on an item in the news?

Find an expert