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Meeting the UK climate change challenge: The contribution of resource efficiency

Meeting the UK climate change challenge

This study provides a detailed assessment of the reduction in Greenhouse Gases that could be achieved by implementing a range of resource efficiency strategies in the UK. It demonstrates that resource efficiency has an important role to play and offers a number of "Quick Win" opportunities to achieve emissions reductions.

Researchers at SEI, at the University of York, calculated the Greenhouse Gas savings from a range of strategies that could be implemented by households, government and industry, all relating to using material more efficiently.

The key finding is that improvements in resource efficiency can be taken immediately, as advocated by Lord Stern, and could deliver almost 10% of the reductions required by the Low Carbon Transition Plan. To reach this target, changes in consumption, the way households use goods and services, will be as crucial as changes to methods of production.

For consumption, significant reductions can be made through changing behaviour related to food and drink. Changes in diets and reductions in food waste could have an immediate effect on reducing GHG emissions. Increasing the lifetime of products by making them more durable and encouraging consumers to change their buying patterns also provides a big opportunity.

For production, lean production is by far the most effective strategy. This relates to reducing the amount and type of material input in products, while delivering the same function.

The report was launched at WRAP’s annual conference “ Resource Efficiency: The Future for UK Business”, on the 4 November 2009 at the Royal Society.

Final report

SEI contacts

University of Durham contact