Europe – Manufacturers’ organisation EEF has warned the UK government to act over escalating risks to the country’s supply of essential materials. And among its recommendations, contained in a report entitled ‘Materials for Manufacturing: Safeguarding Supply’, the body calls for regulation of waste ‘so that we extract more economic value from what we discard’.
The EEF also recommends: the establishment of an office of resource management for strategic co-ordination of government action; a thorough and regular assessment of material supply risks and vulnerabilities; and stronger incentives for resource efficiency ′to help overcome market failures′.
The combination of global growth in middle-class consumers, increased demand for all commodities and an over-reliance on China for strategic supplies is leaving the UK ′underprepared and overexposed′, according to the EEF. China is the leading supplier of materials to the UK, producing 22 of 38 elements of strategic economic value. ′These are minerals and metals that are vital to British manufacturing,′ the organisation points out.
′Head in the sand′
The UK government has responded ′weakly′ to these concerns, states the EEF. Its senior policy advisor Susanne Baker comments: ′While competitor nations are already taking evasive action, our government is in danger of burying its head in the sand. Given how crucial material supplies are to the UK′s wealth and economic stability, there is a clear case for a new office of resource management to act as a central hub of expertise, data and stakeholder liaison and to co-ordinate the UK’s response to these risks.′
For more information, visit: www.eef.org.uk
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