Laura Heywood
Director of UK remanufacturer Kleen Strike and Correspondence Secretary of UKCRA discusses how the Parliamentary inquiry should work towards recognising the benefits of remanufacturing.
Following the announcement in August of a Parliamentary inquiry into the UK remanufacturing industry, Laura Heywood has told The Recycler her view on why it is important and how remanufacturers should be better appreciated.
The inquiry aims to examine the industry’s growth potential, and is being jointly conducted by All-Party Parliamentary Groups from Manufacturing (APMG) and sustainability (APSRG); with the deadline for submissions of evidence for the inquiry set for this Friday 26 September, and the final report to be issued before Christmas 2014.
Noting that the Government asserts it is implementing greener policies via its Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) programmes, Heywood said “to achieve this, it needs to take responsibility and put environmental value over price and lead by example. If the Government did, it would deliver a strong message of being seen to support a ‘circular economy’ and encouraging others to follow”.
In terms of remanufactured printer consumables, Heywood said: “Giving preference to purchasing UK remanufactured toners not only saves jobs but also leads the way for a more sustainable future.
“The European Parliament says it ‘takes the view that, in order to develop the full potential of public procurement, the criterion on lowest price should no longer be the determining one for the award of contracts’ and that ‘suppliers should be asked for their measurement proposals as an indication of their commitment to improve sustainability’. One way is for carbon disclosure reporting to be part of their bid evaluation. In one Local Authority tender, a remanufacturer lost a tender to supply printer cartridges solely due to ‘price’ being 70 percent of the score value. What message does that give our industry?”
Heywood noted that former Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman, who is chairing the inquiry alongside Barry Sheerman MP, commented that Parliament and UK industry do not yet fully appreciate remanufacturing, and that remanufacturing must become mainstream if UK industry is to fully accept and embrace environmental sustainability; along with reducing the consumption of virgin raw materials and even developing a ‘comparative advantage’.
In response, Heywood said: “Let’s hope that the recommendations from the forthcoming report are adopted by the Government and that the Government takes responsibility and leads by example by putting measures in place to encourage the purchase of UK-produced remanufactured toners and inkjets, rather than purchasing new original brand replacement cartridges – or opting for the convenience of a managed print service contract. Neither of these options is cost effective when compared to using UK remanufactured cartridges or the best environmental option for a low carbon sustainable future.”
She added: “Further steps need to be taken to encourage the UK remanufacturing industry, as a whole, to better understand the huge environmental and economic potential that remanufacturing offers. Our industry has always been active in promoting reuse – it was through the efforts of the UK remanufacturing industry that the wording ‘reuse’ was even included in the WEEE Directive – up until our intervention, it was seen to be a Directive on just how to deal with waste.
“Our industry welcomes this Parliamentary enquiry. The benefits are clear – but it will only have teeth if the UK Government supports UK remanufacturing wherever possible.”