A new report from the Green Alliance is well worth a read. It very clearly points out, what we all know but seldom act upon, that we consume too much and have obsolescence designed into all too many products. The UN has estimated that the overall level of resource consumption that is sustainable is about 7 tonnes per person per year (I find this a rather daft metric, but let's stay with it for the moment; at least it is one clear number). Calculated on the same basis the average per capita consumption of the UK is 14.7 tonnes. A radical new approach is clearly required. At its heart is the need in all stages of the economic cycle for products to be designed to stay in use for as long as possible and the materials they are made of must be available for economic recycling into replacements or new products. It's a big ask but setting clear goals in a clear timeframe underpinned by a consistent roadmap could get us a long way down that road.
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