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EDC were invited to present at this years OECD-UNEP Conference on Resource Efficiency held 23-25 April 2008 in Paris, France.
This multi-actor conference brought together delegates from all around the World to share knowledge and experiences in tackling the resource efficiency agenda. A key message stemming from the conference was although many international actors may view ‘environment’ as a short-term trend the reality is that the costs of key finite resources (ie oil, metals etc) are escalating. Traditional economic models (based on the concept of waste) are unsustainable. Using the world’s resources in a more effective manner makes sense for all stakeholders. A key objective needs to be to work together to agree and achieve a shared vision.
EDC delivered a presentation on our experiences of building capacity for ecodesign in Wales in the ‘International co-operation and partnerships’ module. The presentation set the Welsh context, recognising the unique position that EDC is in, being able to work in close partnership with policy makers, small businesses and educators. EDC explained that a key long-term aim is transfer the knowledge gained to different regions, thus contributing to international capacity development.
One organisation of special interest was Five Winds International. Dr James Fava, M.D., outlined a number of key areas to consider when tackling the resource efficiency agenda, including:
- take a (multi-actor) life cycle approach
- co-operate to achieve results
- treat each resource different (e.g. with plastic you should aim to get the maximum value from the product)
- tools exist - its how you apply them
- need to build infrastructure to ensure material cycles continue
- each organisation should ‘live its values’
Download a copy of EDC's presentation abstract
Download a copy of EDC's presentation
Date: 25 April 2008 |
