SUEZ asks for greater re-use and repair focus in Seventh Carbon Budget

But whilst the report rightly acknowledges the crucial role the waste sector will continue to play in reducing carbon emissions, SUEZ CEO John Scanlon has asked that more prominence be given to re-use and repair.

“This seventh carbon budget offers clear and unambiguous guidelines in areas such as acceleration of electrification and industrial decarbonisation and that clarity is crucial in developing policy and helping all sectors align with those Net Zero targets. However, I think a greater focus in this budget on reuse and repair would confirm its importance and ensure a place in future policy making,” he said.

Pre-loved or repaired goods represent two of the lowest carbon choices available to consumers and are growing in popularity as a report earlier this month published by SUEZ revealed. Launching their Re-use Manifesto SUEZ commissioned research which found that 48% of UK adults bought a second-hand item in the last year. Supporting this trend with policies geared towards re-use and repair such as reducing VAT on reused, refurbished and repaired goods, and extending Right to Repair legislation would have long-term impact.

“Embedding reuse and repair clearly into the budget's framework, with real targets and incentives, will drive the circular economy necessary to reaching Net Zero goals, “ said John Scanlon. “The UK has largely made the transition away from landfill and we will ensure that Carbon capture and storage (CCS) reduces the impact of dealing with our customers’ residual waste. But we need to improve resource efficiency and that is not possible without a clear re-use and repair ethos.

He added: “As a society we can’t reduce carbon emissions if we continue with the linear economy habit of transforming valuable resources into waste and recycling. We have to aim higher up the waste hierarchy than that and look to re-use and repair. Statutory support for this approach would be a huge step forward.”