APPENDIX 3: CALL FOR EVIDENCE
The House of Lords Science and Technology Select
Committee has appointed a sub-committee, chaired by Lord O'Neill
of Clackmannan, to look at sustainable approaches to waste reduction.
The inquiry will focus on the first level of the waste hierarchy,
waste reduction, and will look into ways in which products and
production processes can be made more sustainable and therefore
produce less waste.
The Committee invites evidence on the following questions.
Witnesses are encouraged to focus on those issues of which they
have particular knowledge or experience—submissions are
not required to cover all questions.
Better design and the use of materials
· What
role can better design and materials play in minimising the creation
of waste? Are there any barriers to how knowledge in this area
can best be translated and applied?
· What
factors influence the use of materials? In what way do considerations
of sustainability feature in the selection of most commonly used
materials?
· To what
extent do product designers and engineers take into account the
availability and the end-of-life impacts of raw materials?
· What
impact does the development of new materials have on design? How
much interaction is there between material scientists and designers?
· Can
better designed products offset the increase in consumption?
· Are
there any other gaps in knowledge and how are they being addressed?
Business framework
· Does
the current policy, regulatory and legal framework support and
incentivise the development of better, more sustainable products
and processes? How is the framework communicated to businesses
and what is the level of awareness and understanding among businesses?
· How
central is sustainable design to business thinking? What initiatives
are in place to encourage this and are they meeting business needs?
· What
other measures can promote a focus on waste reduction among businesses?
· What
lessons can business learn from international experience?
Government policy
· What
is and should be the role of Government in addressing the issue
of waste reduction?
· How
does Government policy link up with European strategies and action
plans?
· What
lessons can be learnt from other countries—within the EU
and globally?
Consumer behaviour
· How
can better product design be used to effect a change in consumption
patterns and behaviour?
· What
role do marketing strategies play in influencing more sustainable
design?
· Are
there any gaps in knowledge in this area?
Skills
· How
is sustainable design integrated into the design syllabus?
· To what
extent are considerations of sustainable waste reduction part
of broader industrial training courses?
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