Peter Tom Jones

Sustainable Materials Management for Europe, from efficiency to effectiveness (April 2010), 74 page Report written by Ans Rossy (Sustenuto), Peter Tom Jones & Daneel Geysen (KULeuven) & Katrin Binge (Wuppertal Institute), commissioned by OVAM/LNE, for the Belgian EU Presidency (second semester 2010).

From the executive summary: The objective of this report is to provide a clear and easily understandable background study on what sustainable materials management (hereafter SMM) is about, what the main evolutions are, and why SMM is relevant. The report provides examples of a great variety of cases and illustrates the challenges for further policy development on SMM at EU level. The study serves as a basis for debate for the informal Environmental Council on July 12 and 13, as part of the Belgian EU Presidency during the second semester of 2010.

Striving to SMM is a matter for all actors in society, be it business, government, consumers, academia, civil society or others. Moving towards SMM cannot solely be achieved by being more efficient in existing production processes, or by minimising waste. To reach a ‘reasonable’ co-existence of the economy and the surrounding ecosystem(s) the use of natural resources by industrialised countries would need to be reduced by approximately 90% compared to its prsent level (Factor 10). This can only be achieved by real breakthrough system-level innovations; thus moving from ecoefficiency to eco-effectiveness and further to conservation; to ecosufficiency. It is about transformation and changes in the systems of provision and our behaviour. Such changes are unlikely  to occur by normal market processes, or at national levels alone. There is a strong need for a comprehensive policy mix and actions at EU level
that further supports the necessary shift towards higher levels of SMM maturity.  

An effective change strategy towards SMM requires integration of several aspects, such as: responsible extraction, use and re-use, healthy and safe technology development, fair distribution of resources and materials, smarter ways of consumption, and product-service effectiveness. This means that a solid SMM EU policy can further reinforce the current focus and targets in the EU policies on (renewable) energy use, CO2 emission reductions, and green innovation. Further integration of SMM as defined in this report then enhances the other European goals and SMM should therefore also be part of the new EU 2020 Strategy. This creates challenges for a comprehensive policy mix and integrated policy approaches that contribute to the creation of a sustainable and resource-light world. This demands an effective mix of strategies for change, taking into consideration the different drivers for human behaviour.