Policy Connect were recently joined by the Minister for Nature, Mary Creagh CBE MP, for a discussion in Parliament on the new Government’s approach to the circular economy. 

The election of a new Government has brought a renewed focus on resource efficiency and the circular economy, with recent commitments reinvigorating the policy agenda and placing a greater emphasis on upstream solutions that address waste at the source. 

Alongside the commitment to develop a Circular Economy Strategy, the Government has pledged to create a Circular Economy Taskforce to underpin the Strategy’s creation. 

Tristan Osborne MP, new chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group, led a discussion of the new Government’s approach to the circular economy, with a particular focus on how the Circular Economy Strategy can:

• Incentivise upstream waste prevention 

• Support innovative reuse and repair infrastructure

• Create economic opportunities in the circular economy

• Align enviornmental sustainability with economic growth

The roundtable featured insightul contributions from Dr Roz Savage MP and our range of participating stakeholders from across industry, academia, and the third sector. 

This was the first event of the All-Party Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group’s programme for this Parliament and follows the recent election of its Chair and Officer’s:

• Chair – Tristan Osborne MP

• Officer – Lord Teverson

• Officer – Lord Duncan of Springbank

• Officer – Kevin McKenna MP

The event will help to inform the direction of the APSRG and Policy Connect’s programme of work to support the delivery of a more circular economy for the UK.