Biffa Waste Services has invited ePolitix Forum members to comment on the issue of Producer Responsibility, asking whether manufacturers should do more to reuse recovered materials.

A spokesman for Defra told ePolitix.com: "The goverrnment is keen to develop voluntary agreements with producers to comply with producer responsibility requirements.

"Producer responsibility initiatives are designed to help waste producers take greater responsibility for the products they place on the market when they become waste."

Forum Response: Biffa Waste Services

Peter Jones, director of external affairs at Biffa, told ePolitix.com: "A perceptive synopsis of the mechanisms that need to be called into play to tackle an obvious area close to consumers hearts - as far as environmental improvement is concerned."

"We have spent years developing regulatory impact assessment policies for product or policy specific initiatives, but we need to start on a more global basis.

"With a Gross Domestic Product of £1trillion, the £1-2billion cost of delivering producer responsibility for a range of high profile consumer goods is pretty trifling - but it is unfortunate that the corresponding threat to bottom line profitability and balance sheet risk has obscured the thinking of product manufacturers.

"The real debate with government needs to be focussed on managing the transition process through contractual arrangements which deliver scale, transparency and minimal environmental impact without prejudice to the competitive market infrastructure for these products.

"The waste industry has the balance sheet strength, technology and know-how to deliver these solutions but before we commit we need to know who is going to pay? What are the regulatory standards? Is there a regulatory level playing field across the UK and Europe?"

Forum Response: Institute of Directors

A spokesman for the IoD told ePolitix.com: "We know that IoD members want to do their bit to protect the environment and conserve natural resources.

"However, sometimes it seems that various rules and regulations can lead to businesses having to consume extra resources to comply with the law.

"The IoD expects the government and the European Union to bear this in mind when setting up new schemes - and also asks them to remember that it is not only business that should be expected to take the lead responsibility for environmental policy. Individuals have responsibilities too."

Forum Response: Construction Products Association

Rita Singh, policy development executive, told ePolitix.com: "Producer Responsibility is an effective way to reduce the growing EU waste mountain, but only if employed correctly across a level playing field. It has the potential to not only reduce waste growth but also to increase innovation in design and use and increase user awareness of the products.

"A distinction however should be made between products and individual components. Whole life performance of the entire product should be the keyto introducing Producer Responsibility. For example, to determine the whole life impact of a building, the building as a whole should be considered as a product which comprises several individual components such as concrete, glass, etc.

"As such, issues like the embodied energy of the building, its operational energy during use and the demolition and disposal/reuse of the products should all be considered during the design stage of the building.

"This enables suitable construction products to be used as components with the knowledge of their whole-life performance that goes beyond just environmental issues. The Integrated Product Policy currently being developed by the Commission is a positive step towards this and will benefit both the manufacturers and users of products to develop sustainably."