A task force will be established to raise awareness of the benefits of the circular economy throughout the Welsh supply chain, says Welsh Minister for Natural Resources Carl Sargeant.

Sargeant today (4 March) released a written statement outlining how Wales will develop a more circular approach and says a ‘strong, integrated, joined up approach’ is needed from manufacturers, retailers, consumers and collectors to bring about a more circular economy in Wales.

Sargent believes a fragmented approach will not deliver the desired results and has asked the Waste & Resource Action Programme (WRAP) to set up a task force of ‘key supply chain organisations’ and academic institutions to deliver a more joined-up approach.

Studies performed by the WRAP, the Green Alliance and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation have previously shown that 30,000 jobs could be created in Wales, in addition to a potential saving of £2 billion could per year, by adopting a more circular economy.

Sargeant has also vowed to ensure that Wales gets a share of the £500 million EU Horizon 2020 funding providing for developing circular economy approaches.

‘Achieving a more circular economy for Wales’

In the statement, Sargeant describes the traditional linear approach to resource management as ‘take, make, use, and lose’ and highlights the need for a more circular approach as many materials have only a short usage period before their value is lost entirely through landfill disposal.

He adds that currently Wales cannot become 100 per cent circular as the country is not completely self-sufficient in terms of consumption of products and natural resources. More can be done, he says, to drive a more circular approach such as creating recycling circles for products, which are manufactured and produced in Wales, where recyclate is transferred back to manufacturers for use as a raw material.

For products imported to Wales, Sargeant stresses that it is important to source products with as high a recycled content as possible and to ensure waste gets back to the source of production. This would give Wales the added advantage of selling their waste to other countries.

Sargeant emphasised the need to raise awareness of circular economy approaches to Welsh manufacturing companies, especially small and medium enterprises, adding that the small size of Wales was an advantage, which allowed them to ‘pull it all together in the right direction.’

Wellbeing Benefits of Circular economy

The statement also explains how measures taken will link to the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act of 2015,which was introduced to improve the social, economic and cultural wellbeing of Wales by ensuring public bodies look at long term strategies, integrate with communities better and act in a more sustainable way.

It works on the principle that reducing the exploitation of natural resources and greenhouse gas emissions will reduce or reverse the biodiversity lost through habitat loss. The reduction in emissions will also improve the health of those living in the country. Jobs, training and skills provided increase equality across the population and more communities will be involve in sustainable waste management and the redistribution of surplus food, increasing cohesion in communities.

Opportunity for Wales to “take the lead and innovate”

Sargeant said said: "There are significant economic and job creation benefits through moving towards a more circular economy. Wales has a huge opportunity to take the lead and innovate - we have already made an excellent start by being top of the UK recycling league, and fourth in Europe.

“We need to build on this success, and work in partnership across the whole production and consumption supply chain. Ensuring the separate collection of high quality recycling wherever people are – at work, rest and play – will be vital to Wales' success. The Environment Bill will help achieve this. The benefits will be huge. We must grasp them by putting in the necessary effort to change."

Circular Economy in Scotland

Scotland has also been taking steps to develop its circular economy, last week (23 February) publishing a new circular economy strategy, ‘Making things last,’ which included a pledge to reduce food waste by a third by 2025. This move alone is expected to save Scottish businesses and households at least £500 billion a year.

The strategy focused on four areas with the greatest potential for environmental and economic benefits namely; food, drink and the broader bio-economy; remanufacture; construction and energy infrastructure. A new support service, run by Zero Waste Scotland, will be set up to aid businesses to establish circular economies, ensuring longer product lifetimes which can be repaired easily or disassembled for increased recycling.

Carl Sargeant’s full written statement can be found on the Welsh Government’s website.