An all-party committee has suggested a ban on the use of ‘best-before’ labels on fresh food items in Irish retail outlets as an effective measure to reduce household food wastage. This move would empower consumers to determine food quality themselves and efficiently diminish the 250,000 tonnes of food waste Irish households produce annually, according to the Environment and Climate Action Committee’s report.
The report breaks down the state of the circular economy in Ireland, outlining a troubling overuse of raw resources that outpaces natural regeneration by 50 percent. If unchecked, the committee warns, this unsustainable pattern could triple by 2050. Despite progressive initiatives, the circular economy remains underdeveloped, notes Deputy Richard Bruton (FG), the report’s special rapporteur. He observes that the market for recycled materials remains feeble, limiting their utilization. Simultaneously, the sectors for reusing, repairing, and refurbishing are small, and so is the sharing sector in Ireland.
The publication points out that Ireland’s building and car occupancy rates are notably low, with the latter not being supportive of multiple occupants. The report proposes 47 measures aimed at amplifying Ireland’s circular economy practice, adhering to stringent Irish laws and EU directives.
Bruton highlighted that the Covid crisis has heightened awareness of the risks inherent in global supply chains. However, our current ‘consume, produce, use, reject’ model overlooks the environmental impact across the supply chain. The circular economy model endeavours to unlink economic growth from environmental harm through complete supply chain reevaluation, he stated. Thus, making the correct choices from the beginning is significantly better than subsequent corrections.
The design phase is believed to be responsible for approximately 80% of environmental damage. Instead of focusing on managing waste in the circular challenge, we need to reevaluate how to fulfil our needs while minimising negative effects and eliminating waste.
The report emphasises the critical role of sectors such as food, construction, consumer durables, and textiles, in adopting a circular approach. Promotion of the circular economy should be incorporated into the Government’s climate strategies and detailed sectoral planning, reinforced by supervision and reporting duties, and the requirement to accept plans should objectives fail to be achieved.
It recommends that local governments should introduce machinery capable of handling large numbers of cans and bottles simultaneously under the deposit return scheme.
The report urges a strict system of monitoring, recording, and reporting of food wastage across the entire supply chain. It suggests the development of information and incentives “to encourage smarter purchasing, storage, and food consumption, avoid unnecessary packaging, and optimise waste separation”.
The repair and reuse sector needs increased support, including lower VAT rates, reduced trade rates, tax advantages and the launch of reuse bonus schemes.
“Adopting more circular practices in our daily lives is not as difficult as it might seem,” stated Mr Bruton. His proposals include more efficient use of smart controls, clever meters, low environmental impact refurbishment guidance, food wastage prevention, smart retrofits, new building material choices, and improved waste separation.
Moreover, he suggested a need for more public charging stations for electric vehicles; shared mobility platforms; appropriate support measures; packaging-free zones in prominent supermarkets; and remote health services provision.
“All of these measures signify a structural shift with affordable upfront costs, but considerable long-term savings,” he pointed out.
The report also urges rapid standardisation of labels and verification of any claims. Public procurement needs to be streamlined to accommodate the new focus on circularity.
To make the circular economy model a reality, the development of new targets and the emergence of new markets are required. These should include stricter regulation on the use of materials, supported by a consistent method of calculating the environmental footprint of products.