+44 1865 259200
Waste & Circular Economy
The way we produce, handle and treat solid waste can lead to major environmental impacts including resource depletion, climate change and affects to air, land and water sources.
Knowledge around these impacts has rapidly developed, leading to many policy responses that align with circular economy principles. In Europe, the Waste Framework Directive established the waste hierarchy – a ranking system that lists i) prevention; ii) preparation for re-use; iii) recycling; iv) recovery; and v) disposal – as a prioritised waste management options. These terms are now commonly accepted and applied as circularity concepts across the globe. However, governments and policy makers face difficult, but extremely varied challenges to apply policies and measures that will achieve the desired environmental outcomes.
For more information, please contact Richard Claxton
Joining Up Circularity and Climate Change Reporting
Climate change reporting frameworks for GHG inventories, projections and policies and measures allocate emissions to their point of release, and are limited to reporting of GHG emissions that occur within national boundaries. This can act as a significant barrier to fully quantifying and representing the true impacts of circular economy policies within GHG reporting templates such as the Biennial Transparency Reports and Common Reporting Tables.
Aether has provided European level analysis of how the impact of waste sector policies and measures cuts across national borders and typical industrial sectors. We understand the upstream and downstream impacts of waste and circular economy policies and measures and can help quantify the impacts of those policies. We apply our experience to support national teams to quantify and allocate the GHG savings in line with existing GHG reporting structures and to provide supplementary / alternative approaches where appropriate, e.g. to better represent the consumption-based (and often cross-border) implications of circular economy policy.
GHG Policies and Measures
Aether provides UNFCCC certified staff that can estimate GHG savings and projections scenarios related to waste and circular economy policies and measures. We have recently provided support to the Governments of Bulgaria and Lebanon, developing waste sector policies and measures analysis as part of their Biennial Transparency Report submissions. We also provide analysis of GHG savings that can be achieved through waste infrastructure schemes such as the upgrading of landfill and wastewater facilities.
Policy Review
Our staff can help to review waste and circular economy policies at national, sub-national and local level, as well as for private corporations. We understand the wider impacts of climate change and make use of our wider impacts database to understand the linkage between policy and broader sustainability goals. We recently worked with colleagues at Resource Futures to review of the effectiveness of the lower rate of Scottish Landfill Tax in supporting Scottish Government’s environmental objectives. You can listen to Richard Claxton talk through some of the project outcomes on the CXC Podcast.
Testimonial
Don't just take our word for it...
Contact us
