The workshop agenda is structured so as to arrive at some actionable recommendations through dialogues among the participants. We believe focusing the following core interventions# would be useful:
Pillar 1: Design for Sustainability - Circular Use of Materials
Objective: Prevent additional land use change by maximizing the circular use of existing materials in the economy with due considerations of cost.
Key Principles:
Design for durability, repairability, and modularity
Material selection prioritizing recycled and bio-based inputs
Standardization of components to enable cross-industry material flows
Life cycle assessment integration in product development
Expected Outcomes:
Reduced virgin material demand
Extended product lifecycles
Enhanced material recovery rates
Decreased pressure on natural ecosystems
Pillar 2: End-Use Focus - Enabling Servitization
Objective: Shift from product ownership to service provision, optimizing resource utilization through shared and efficient service delivery models. Discuss challenges associated with serviceability of products and enablers to make such shifts possible.
Key Elements:
Product-as-a-Service (PaaS) business models
Digital platforms enabling service optimization
Performance-based contracting
Asset sharing and optimization technologies
Servitization can also encourage sustainability by introducing new business models that promote the circular economy, resource efficiency and, simultaneously, foster environmentally conscious ways of operating businesses. Shifting from a product-centric approach to a service-oriented model enables more efficient resource utilization and reduces overall material throughput.
We must also discuss consumer perspective in consuming services rather than products, and discuss the hurdles and challenges to help define this pathway better.
Pillar 3: Output-Based Taxation - Waste as Economic Signal
Objective: Create economic incentives that penalize waste generation rather than resource inputs, encouraging efficiency and circular practices.
Mechanism Design:
Waste generation taxes based on volume and toxicity
Differential taxation for recyclable vs. non-recyclable waste
Revenue recycling to support circular economy investments
Border adjustments to prevent pollution haven effects
Policy Rationale:
Aligns economic incentives with environmental objectives
Preserves market flexibility in achieving efficiency
Generates revenue for sustainability transitions
Encourages innovation in waste prevention processes and technologies
Pillar 4: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Implementation
Objective: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a policy approach that makes producers responsible for their products along the entire lifecycle, including at the post-consumer stage.
Implementation Framework:
Develop awareness mechanisms among stakeholders
Comprehensive product coverage with phased rollout
Performance standards for collection and recycling
Financial responsibility mechanisms
Monitoring and reporting systems
Stakeholder engagement protocols
Recent Developments: The Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive, when revised in 2018, introduced an obligation for EU Member States to set up EPR schemes for all packaging by 31 December 2024. This provides valuable precedent for broader EPR implementation.
Workshop is structured to help set the context and then through break-out sessions work on the individual levers and connection with the objective.
Session 1: A keynote presentation articulating the problem statement.
Session 2: Breakout sessions, one dedicated to each intervention. understanding challenges, Analysis and arriving at opportunities
Session 3: Synthesis of the discussions during the breakout sessions and solution development. Summarizing specific intervention opportunities.
Session 4: Where do we go from here? Next steps and post workshop plans.
#-Based on our discussions, we decided that the workshop's focus is on change in our systems and it is not on individual actions. This is a matter of focus and choice. After all, only individuals can exercise agency to change systems. So leaving out individual actions is a choice that we are making for this workshop while acknowledging that these systems cannot change without individuals taking action.