Businesses in the West Midlands are being urged to consider the full environmental impact of their operations, following the July release of the Government's Energy Review.
Environment Agency figures suggest as much as 7 million tonnes of industrial and commercial waste could be generated in the region every year - with 40% destined for landfill.
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But Envirowise - which offers companies free advice on resource efficiency - says businesses must take voluntary action now to assess and reduce waste throughout the entire lifecycle of their products, to help meet future energy challenges.
This includes recognising not just the resources involved in a product's design, manufacture and eventual disposal, but also the energy used to extract raw materials from the ground at the outset - all which contribute to an 'embedded environmental footprint'.
And with compulsory standards relating to the design of energy using products on the horizon, taking early action could help companies identify long-term cost savings - as well as forge stronger alliances with suppliers and major clients, says Envirowise Regional Manager for the West Midlands, John Barraclough.
"A willingness to innovate in the field of 'cleaner' design will become a real business benefit for manufacturers and retailers, particularly in view of forthcoming legislation. The EU's Energy Using Products (EuP) Directive, for instance, seeks to improve the environmental performance of products throughout their entire life-cycle by making sure resource efficient measures are built in at design stage.
"This legislation is likely to affect all energy-using product types that sell more than 200,000 units a year, in a range of categories including lighting, office equipment, consumer electronics and domestic appliances. Therefore suppliers to the UK's biggest electrical manufacturers could have much to gain from quickly addressing potential changes in product specifications."
Envirowise recommends that producers of energy using products and components in the region consider the following:
- Visit Envirowise's cleaner design section to access advice and tools for assessing your product design.
- Talk to customers and suppliers now and find out how they plan to address their environmental impact. Is there an opportunity to work together to identify mutually beneficial solutions?
- Consider how an Environmental Management System could help you implement a practical framework for achieving best practice. Visit Envirowise's environmental management section for more details.
- Larger companies with numerous suppliers may consider working with Envirowise to establish a Partnership Programme, allowing them to work towards cleaner design and compliance throughout their supply chain. Call Envirowise on 0800 585 794 to find out more.
John Barraclough continues: "We look forward to working closely with businesses to ensure they have the knowledge and capacity to grasp the commercial opportunities associated with cleaner design.
"For example, our recent Luxury to Landfill survey demonstrated that around a third of consumers questioned would favour an electrical or electronic product designed with either low environmental impact (37%), minimal packaging (36%) or recyclability (31%) in mind.
2 So this isn't solely about compliance - it's about maintaining a competitive edge in a fast moving market, to ensure future success."
A number of good practice guides are available free from Envirowise, which can help manufacturers across a range of industry sectors work towards cleaner design.
For further information call the Envirowise Advice Line on 0800 585 794 or explore the website.
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Issued on behalf of Envirowise by Harrison Cowley. Media Contacts: Lucy Rickett or Rod Dennis at Harrison Cowley on 0117 929 2311.
- Environment Agency - Commercial and Industrial Waste Survey 2002/3.
- The Luxury to Landfill survey was conducted for Envirowise by Tickbox.net, with a sample size of 172 consumers.
Notes to Editors
About EuP
For the latest information on EuP please visit NetRegs or the DTI.
About Envirowise
Envirowise delivers a valuable programme of confidential advice to UK businesses. This advice enables businesses to improve profitability and reduce environmental impact. Independent, practical and proven guidance is available through the Envirowise Advice Line. Each solution is driven by the specific needs of individual firms to genuinely improve their business practices, profitability and competitiveness. Since 1994, Envirowise has helped UK industry save over £1 billion.
The Envirowise programme is available to any UK business, completely free of charge. For more information explore the Envirowise website or call 0800 585 794.