Tag: consumption

Electrical waste piled outside Scottish Parliament ahead of vote on new environmental law

CAMPAIGNERS piled electrical waste outside the Scottish Parliament ahead of today’s final debate on a new Circular Economy law. They say MSPs need to do more to improve the way electrical waste is managed and are calling for changes in the final version of the law.

The circular economy bill is being debated and voted on in the Scottish Parliament this week (Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 June). This is the last chance for MSPs to improve the bill.

The new law should bring in policies to create a circular economy in Scotland where materials are used sustainably and fairly. However, it’s been criticised for its lack of ambition and focus on disposal rather than reduction and reuse of products, which can lead to greater social and environmental benefits.

Friends of the Earth Scotland are campaigning for the circular economy bill to include a plan for the materials required in the transition away from fossil fuels, many of which are used in consumer electronics too.

Every mobile phone and laptop is powered by precious materials such as lithium, cobalt and copper. Inadequate waste management systems means that these materials are often thrown away rather than being reused or recycled. Less than 1% of lithium is recycled, despite it being required for electric vehicles.

Many of these materials come from mines in the Global South, including Chile, the Philippines and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which exploit local communities, create pollution and increase carbon emissions.

The steel used in Scottish wind turbines is likely to include significant amounts of iron ore from Brazil, where there have been two major tailing dam disasters in the last decade. A 2019 disaster in Minas Gerais killed at least 244 people.

Scotland does not have a plan for how to manage these transition minerals. The Scottish Government’s draft Energy Strategy includes plans for electrifying vehicles but fails to consider where the lithium needed to do this will come from.

Kim Pratt, Circular Economy Campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland said: “The scale of electronic waste in this country is shocking. All of the waste that we’ve gathered today came from simply asking around – most of us have something sitting in a cupboard because we don’t know what to do with it.

“Electrical waste contains precious material which is lost when these items are thrown away. Scotland can’t afford to keep treating electrical products, and the precious materials they contain, as disposable.

“Reducing our consumption of the materials used to create these products, by increasing reuse and repair, is essential to reduce the harm being done to people and the environment. The new circular economy law also needs to include a plan for these minerals, which are required for our transition away from fossil fuels. If the law does this, it has the potential to have a big impact in creating a fairer and more sustainable future.”

Key facts about e-waste:

– In the UK, the average person generates 24kg of e-waste every year, that’s the second highest in the world, behind only Norway. The UK is on course to overtake Norway and become the world’s largest contributor to e-waste this year (2024). The global average is 7.3kg.
– Globally, e-waste has increased 21% in 5 years to over 50 million tonnes. The total value of the raw material dumped annually is estimated to be £46 billion. By 2030, it’s predicted the world will throw away nearly 75 million tonnes of e-waste.
– Only 17% of e-waste is recycled.
– There are, on average, 2 mobile phones for every person on the planet. Only 9% are recycled.
– A typical iPhone is estimated to house around 0.034g of gold, 0.34g of silver, and 0.015g of palladium. It also contains the less valuable but still significant aluminium (25g) and copper (around 15g).
– One tonne of iPhones would deliver 300 times more gold than a tonne of gold ore and 6.5 times more silver than a tonne of silver ore.

‘The lungs of the world are collapsing at an alarming rate’

Westminster committee urges UK Government to act with urgency to tackle global deforestation

UK consumption is unsustainable, with the nation’s appetite for commodities including soy, cocoa, palm oil, beef and leather putting enormous pressure on forests, Westminster’s Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) warns today.

Forests host 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, support the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people and provide vital ecosystem services to support local and global economies. Deforestation threatens irreplaceable biodiverse habitats and contributes 11% of global carbon emissions.

The intensity of UK consumption on the world’s forests – its footprint per tonne of product consumed – is higher than that of China.

The EAC is calling on Ministers to develop a Global Footprint Indicator to demonstrate this impact to the public, and a target to reduce the UK’s impact on global deforestation. Such a measure will only be meaningful if sufficient monitoring and reporting is embedded for forest risks – including mining – so EAC recommends that the Government work with international partners to improve oversight in the UK and globally.

Through legislative provision in the Environment Act, the Government has committed to establishing a regime  to require forest-based commodities to be certified as ‘sustainable’ if they are to be sold into UK markets. At COP28 the Government announced that the first four of these commodities are to be cattle products (other than dairy), cocoa, palm oil and soy, which the EAC was pleased to see.

While the Government’s intention to tackle sustainability concerns of products is welcome, EAC is concerned  over the seeming lack of urgency about the implementation of this regime, given global commitments to halt and reverse current deforestation trends by 2030.

For instance, no timeline has been offered as to when this important legislation will be introduced, and its phased approach of incorporating products gradually into the regime does not reflect the necessity of tackling deforestation urgently.

The Government should also bring other forest-risk commodities, such as maize, rubber and coffee, into the certification regime as soon as possible to be ‘sustainable’. 

The Committee recommends that the Government strengthens the existing legislative framework so as to prohibit financial sector businesses from trading or using commodities linked to deforestation.

At global COP summits, the UK has been instrumental in delivering ambitious agreements to address global deforestation. However, despite this, the world does not appear to be on track to halt deforestation by 2030: a key commitment made during COP26 and at the Kunming-Montreal COP15 summit in December 2022.

The Government has announced large sums for programmes on climate and nature, amounting most recently to £11.6 billion with £1.5 billion earmarked for deforestation.

However, the Committee has heard concerns that  there is a lack of transparency over how this investment will be spent. The Committee is therefore calling for clarity from Ministers as to how the money will be used to support activities to halt and reverse deforestation.

The Committee was alarmed to hear from Global Witness that one person is killed every other day defending land and the environment. Indigenous peoples are protectors of the world’s forests and can possess detailed knowledge on biodiversity and ecosystem trends. It is therefore critical that they are facilitated to participate fully in negotiations to address deforestation activity.  

To fulfil its commitment to put environmental sustainability measures at the heart of global production and trade, the Government must ensure that biodiversity considerations are more consistently applied into its trade agreements and operations.

EAC therefore repeats its earlier calls for sustainability impact assessments to be conducted for all future trade agreements. Ministers must also develop strategies to monitor effectively and deliver environmental net gains in the UK’s international activity, including gains through halting and reversing deforestation.

Environmental Audit Committee Chair, Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP, said: “UK consumption is having an unsustainable impact on the planet at the current rate. UK markets must not be flooded with products that threaten the world’s forests, the people whose livelihoods rely on them and the precious ecosystems that call them home.

“Yet despite the recent commitment before and at COP28 to invest more in reforestation measures and The Amazon Fund to help halt the speed of global deforestation, the UK needs to take tangible steps to turn the dial at home.

“The Government’s ambition and stated commitment at COP26 to halt deforestation by 2030 was very welcome: but it is not on track now. Its legislation for a regime to require certain products to be certified as ‘sustainable’ before they can be sold in UK markets was welcome: but the implementing legislation has still not come forward. There is little sense of urgency about getting a rapid grip on the problem of deforestation, which needs to match the rhetoric.

“Countries all around the world contribute to deforestation, and the international community of course needs to do much more to tackle deforestation. Yet on some measures the intensity of UK consumption of forest-risk commodities is higher than that of China: this should serve as a wake-up call to the Government.

“To demonstrate genuine global leadership in this critical area, the UK must demonstrate domestic policy progress, and embed environmental and biodiversity protections in future trade deals.”

How to get the best mileage from your tank of fuel

Increase your MPG with these top ten tips

With petrol prices hitting another record high, families and businesses are being hit in the pocket every time they fill the tank.

The RAC said today that it now costs £90 to fill a family car with petrol. The average price of a litre of petrol rose to 163.71p on Monday, and diesel also hit a fresh record of 173.68p.

The war in Ukraine triggered a surge in oil costs.

With prices so high, how do you ensure you get the most out of your tank of fuel? Greentech company SulNOx Group PLC has these top 10 tips:

  1. Maintain your vehicle: Make sure your vehicle is regularly serviced, and regularly maintained between services. If an engine is not serviced regularly, it will use more fuel than one that is well-maintained.
  2. Check your tyre pressure: It’s vital to make sure your tyres are inflated to the pressure shown in the car’s manual. Underinflated tyres can affect fuel economy – and so can overinflated tyres. Remember, your tyre pressure may need to be higher if you are carrying more passengers and/or a heavy load
  3. Slow down: Excessive speed burns more fuel, as does harsh acceleration. Slow and steady wins the race!
  4. Be smooth: In line with point 3, drive as smoothly as possible. Anticipate what’s going on ahead of you and try to slow down gradually by easing off the accelerator.
  5. Easy on the A/C: Air conditioning burns more fuel, so don’t use it unless you need to.
  6. Take it off: Lots of us have roof boxes and roof bars these days – and it’s often easier to leave them on. But the wind resistance caused by doing this means they use more fuel because of ‘drag’.
  7. If you don’t use it, lose it: Lighter cars need less fuel, so don’t carry unnecessary items in the boot or the back seat. 
  8. Don’t fill up: The added weight of a full tank of fuel means burning more fuel. Next time, consider only filling half way. Don’t be tempted to run your tank down too much though. Always fill up before the red light comes on.
  9. Get more bang for your buck: Revolutionary SulNOxEco™ Fuel Conditioners improve the combustion of light fuels including gasoline and diesel. In tests, they have proven to reduce fuel consumption by 8-10% and are certified to comply with fuel standards so any warranties remain intact. Adding SulNOx to your tank takes you further and reduces harmful emissions.
  10. Plan ahead: Avoid rush hour black spots if you can. Use your SatNav to keep you on the right track and warn you of any potential hold-ups.

‘Alarming’: Rising carbon footprint due to consumption of imported goods

Figures released by the Scottish Government yesterday (15 March) show that Scotland’s carbon footprint has increased for the first time in six years.

The greatest increase came from the greenhouse gas emissions from imported goods. Emissions from imports are now greater than the rest of Scotland’s emissions combined.

Scotland’s carbon footprint measures the greenhouse gas emissions from all the goods and services consumed by Scotland in a year. However, Scotland’s Net Zero targets only include greenhouse gases emitted in Scotland. Emissions from imports are excluded from national climate targets and this means they can rise unabated.

The Circular Economy Bill, which is due to be consulted on in May, is a chance for Scotland to reverse this trend and start taking responsibility for its environmental impacts overseas.

In a circular economy, materials consumption is reduced by reusing products rather than burning or burying them after a single use. This means producers need to think about how the product can be reused from the initial stages of design, and choose materials accordingly.

Kim Pratt, circular economy campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland said: “The rise in Scotland’s carbon footprint is alarming. By only looking at the emissions produced at home, we are ignoring the greatest part of our carbon footprint and failing to play our full role in tackling the climate crisis.

“The climate emergency doesn’t recognise any borders, and by outsourcing the emissions from imports to other countries, the Scottish Government is shirking its responsibility.

“The Scottish Government can reverse the rise in emissions by putting strong consumption targets at the heart of its newly announced Circular Economy Bill – this is the only way to ensure that Scotland reduces its global environmental impact.”

Scotland’s carbon footprint was 70.4Mt CO2e in 2018, a 2.6% rise on the previous year.

Friends of the Earth Scotland: Let’s show we’re serious about change

CAMPAIGNERS CALL FOR TARGETS TO LIMIT CONSUMPTION

Campaigners call for targets on consumption as the Scottish Government announces it will launch a consultation into a new Circular Economy Bill in May.

The Scottish Government has said that one of the measures included in the Circular Economy Bill is a ban on the destruction of unsold goods.

Kim Pratt, circular economy campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland said “The Circular Economy Bill is Scotland’s chance to reduce the over-consumption of materials which is killing our planet.

“The Scottish Government can send a clear signal to all sectors in Scotland, and across the world, that we are serious about the system-level change required to create a circular economy. To do this, we need strong targets which measure, for the first time, the global impact of Scotland’s material consumption.

“We consumed 18 tonnes of materials per person per year in Scotland in 2017. Creating a circular economy, with sustainable levels of material use and which also meets high quality living standards for everyone could reduce this to eight tonnes.

“The Circular Economy Bill should include targets to reduce consumption and the means to create an independent advisory body, similar to the Climate Change Committee, to advise the Scottish Government on progress.

“The recent ban on single use plastic items should be extended to cover all single use items. A Circular Economy Business Standard should be introduced and the public sector should be required to use this new standard in all its procurement, encouraging new sustainable business models to flourish.

“Government should estimate the critical material use of policies, in addition to current requirements to measure carbon impact.”

82% of Scotland’s carbon footprint relates to material consumption. From buildings and transport to food and clothing, we use materials in a linear way: extracting raw materials, making them into products, using them (sometimes only once) and throwing them away to be burnt or buried.

Cutting our material consumption to sustainable levels will support Scotland to reach its climate goals.

The Netherlands has set a target to move to a full circular economy by 2050, with an interim objective of a 50% reduction in the primary raw materials (minerals, fossil fuels and metals) by 2030. In 2021, the European Parliament voted to create binding, science based targets for material use and consumption footprint.