Press Statement
23^rd January 2017

CIWM welcomes the Government’s Industrial Strategy Green Paper

CIWM has welcomed the Industrial Strategy Green Paper launched today by the Prime Minister Theresa May.

“CIWM agrees that now is an opportune time for the UK government to put forward a long term vision for its industrial strategy,” says CIWM CEO Dr Colin Church. “We welcome this Green Paper and look forward to working with government and our sector to shape it more fully.  It is particularly encouraging to see resource productivity identified as important to the competitiveness and resilience of the UK economy.

“There are also important strands in the paper that are directly relevant to our sector, not least the focus on innovation and science. The UK waste and resource management sector has shown itself to be dynamic and innovative in developing new ways of deriving value from waste – both as secondary materials and energy – and has the potential to become a valuable source of feedstocks for industrial growth sectors, including the UK bioeconomy.

“We also welcome the commitment to technical education and the additional £170 million funding. CIWM and WAMITAB have long championed skills, qualifications and competence across our sector, which requires a wide range of specialisms from mechanical, civil and chemical engineering through to the life sciences highlighted for support in the paper. Not only that, but we have an important role to play in promoting more safe, sustainable and resource efficient waste management skills right across UK plc, skills that will be important to our future competitiveness. Just today, a new report from the Aldersgate Group has suggested that the UK could gain around £76 billion in gross value added by 2030 through more resource-efficient business models.

“In seeking to ‘secure the economic benefits of our move towards a low-carbon economy’, the Prime Minster and her colleagues must also not forget the important contribution that the waste and resource management sector makes to tackling climate change, both in terms of reducing the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions and reducing the impact associated with the extraction and consumption of virgin raw materials. This contribution must be reflected in any strategy seeking to deliver low-carbon growth and must be planned for as part of the infrastructure upgrade that has been promised today. In addition, given its very nature, waste and resource management happens at a local as well as a national level and is an important component in the Prime Minister’s drive to secure local economic development across the UK.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

1. CIWM (Chartered Institution of Wastes Management) is the leading professional body for the waste management sector representing over 6,000 individuals in the UK and overseas. Established in 1898, CIWM is a non-profit making organisation, dedicated to the promotion of professional competence amongst waste managers. CIWM seeks to raise standards for those working in and with the sector by producing best practice guidance, developing educational and training initiatives, and providing information on key waste-related issues. More information can be found at www.ciwm.co.uk
2. WAMITAB is a regulated awarding organisation and charity that develops qualifications and certificates for those working in waste management and recycling, cleaning and street cleansing, facilities management and parking. It is part of the CIWM group but is a separate legal entity and a charity in its own right.

Press contact:
Pat Jennings
Head of Policy & Communications
Tel: 01604 620426
Mob: 07912 228260
E-mail: pat.jennings@ciwm.co.uk