Press Release

The Finale of Mass Balance UK

21 February 2006

A Biffaward event, including the launch of The Mass Balance Movement: the definitive reference for resource flows in the UK environmental economy

Date: Tuesday 28 February
Time: 4pm-6pm
Venue: House of Commons

To reserve a place please email events@nfi.org.uk or tel: 020 7202 9408. 

Speakers include:

• Peter Jones, Director of External Affairs, Biffa Waste Services
• Birgit Munck-Kampmann, European Environment  Agency’s Topic Centre of Resource and Waste Management
• Jonathon Porritt, Founder Director, Forum for the Future

Background:

Almost 9 years ago, at the inception of the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme, Biffaward commenced funding a number of studies looking at resource flows in the UK economy.  In the intervening period – until the funding rules were amended in 2003 – almost 50 projects emerged from this stable, analysing the flow of physical resources through the UK economy in a geographic, industry sectoral, and material stream series of dimensions.  Many who received individual volumes were probably not aware of the full range and breadth of the entire programme.  This was compounded – quite rightly – by the editorial independence of each of the sponsored initiatives which were produced in their individually stylised ways on the cover and internally.

Nevertheless, the studies did have a common thread running through them – in terms of methodological approaches and underlying philosophy.  It is the latter which is of the greatest significance and relevance today.  Recent pronouncements in the emergent EU Thematic Strategy on Waste and Resource Efficiency places far greater emphasis on reducing our species’ environmental impact on our Planet – and resource efficiency lies at the heart of that process.  We funded these studies over the years in the hope that what was a rather arcane set of theories could be brought into mainstream thinking.  Our hope is that – in the absence of our ability to fund these studies further – government will see the benefits in continuing the development of these studies, preferably underpinned by the installation of an online, pan economy, data capture system on resource flows.

With this objective in mind, we decided to produce a “combined volume” giving all the studies a common guise.  We are delighted to invite you to the launch of this combined volume where we hope to explain in more depth, the philosophy behind the approach together with some of those who have contributed to the studies and methodologies over the years.

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