Market Intelligence Report
October/November 2024 Newsletter
A debrief highlighting the most important, impactful and interesting topics affecting the sector
Market Intelligence Report
ISB Global & CIWM UK Software Use & Perception Research Report
The extensive primary research on software use and perception in the UK sector is almost complete, due to be published before the end of the year. The comprehensive study and campaigns launched a questionnaire, focus group, and interim results to be further questioned in a webinar poll presentation, delivering insight, attitude and opinion on use and perception of software technologies.
News we thought was of interest
House of Commons Library – Budget Feedback
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, presented her 2024 Autumn Budget to Parliament on 30 October and published supporting documents on the gov.uk website. She is the first woman to deliver a UK Budget. This is the Labour Party’s first Budget for more than 14 years.
When the Chancellor finished her statement in the Commons, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published updated forecasts for the UK’s economic and fiscal outlook. The OBR is the independent public finances watchdog that produces the official forecasts for the economy and public finances used by the Chancellor.
The Chancellor has increased government spending by around 2% of GDP a year, on average, over the next five years. One-third of the additional spending will go on government’s investment spending on things such as transport, housing, and research and development (R&D). The remaining two-thirds will go on the government’s day-to-day spending.
Key Industry Figures Budget Feedback
Philip Law, Director General British Plastics Federation comments in Lets Recycle ‘…Having said this, it was always going to be a difficult budget with more funding required for healthcare, education and defence. Let’s hope that the positive aspects of the statement become consolidated into the development of the Industrial Strategy and a 10 year Infrastructure Plan. Only then we will know if ‘short termism’ has come to an end, as the Chancellor claimed.”
ReFed – Thanksgiving Waste
ReFED estimates that across America 316 million pounds of food will be wasted this Thanksgiving, representing more than $556 million worth of groceries thrown away in a single day. (This is about 1.3 percent more waste than in 2023 due to population growth.) All of this discarded food could provide five meals to each of the 47.4 million people experiencing food insecurity in the U.S.
An insight into Halloween waste
“Environmental group Hubbub conducted a study into Halloween waste and found that a shocking 83% of Halloween costumes used non-recyclable oil-based plastics which meant they were destined to end up in landfill. To put that into context, that’s around 2000 tonnes of plastic waste or a horrifying 83 million plastic bottles caused by the Halloween festivities. Even more disturbing is the fact that the plastic polymer used in over 63% of these costumes, polyester, can take anywhere between 20-200 years to decompose.”
Material Focus on the Vape Ban
“With new products coming onto the market, “rechargeable disposables”, “pod” and “Big Puff” models skirt around potential regulations and are on sale at similar price points to the single-use models.
Vape producers and retailers will still need to meet their legal obligations to collect and recycle them. Material Focus research has shown that 90% of retailers and producers are still not meeting these requirements.
Scott Butler, Executive Director, Material Focus. “When a disposable vape ban comes in, vapes still do need a special category under environmental regulations, which would allow the government to set clear collection targets and can only help in the move to get those profiting from vapes to cover the costs of dealing with them. Too many companies are currently dodging their share of £200 million a year responsibility for collection and recycling.”
Apple starts to talk “repair”
During an opening plenary discussion, Tom Marieb, Apple’s vice president of product integrity for hardware engineering, said the company is evolving its stance on repair.
“We’re here, and we’re listening,” Marieb told the audience of refurbishers and repair advocates. He explained the company is “trying to go less secretive in this space, we’re trying to talk a little more openly, discuss our goals, discuss where we’re headed, as well as take ideas in.”
That was particularly visible with the company’s recent launch of its iPhone 16 lineup. Sarah Kim, director of the Electronics Sustainability Summit and host of the conversation with Marieb, noted that “our friends at iFixit have actually called it the most repairable iPhone yet.”
UNEP at the Climate COP29
“From 11 to 22 November, Baku, Azerbaijan, will host the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29), the global decision-making body of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This pivotal event will focus on establishing new finance targets, advancing adaptation measures, and strengthening the loss and damage fund. In anticipation of next year’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), COP29 is expected to drive greater ambition in climate commitments. This conference could mark a crucial turning point, scaling up climate finance and transforming the UAE consensus pledges into concrete actions.
With three COPs scheduled in 2024, this year presents an opportunity to advance integrated approaches for achieving the goals of the Rio Conventions. By aligning national plans—such as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), and Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets—nations can foster co-benefits and enhance synergistic impacts.”
Six Climate & Environment Takeaways from the US Election
“There’s no use in sugarcoating it: The 2024 election returns are a gut punch for those of us who care about climate change, preserving clean air and clean water, protecting lands and wildlife, and, in general, maintaining a livable planet full of wonder and abundance.
Donald Trump’s return to power will undoubtedly lead to an attempted assault on the Biden–Harris administration’s landmark climate-action achievements, as well as efforts to roll back long-standing environmental protections—which is exactly what Trump’s corporate backers have bought and paid for. The two most important words in that last sentence are attempted and efforts, because even now, in these first grim days after the election, the environmental movement is busy mobilizing to fight Trump & Co.’s retrograde agenda.
To the great frustration of many environmental advocates, climate change and the environment weren’t really on the ballot this year. Compared with other hot-button issues like the economy, women’s rights, and democracy, environmental concerns fell pretty low on most voters’ lists of concerns. But even if the environment wasn’t on the ballot, the environment will likely be a casualty of the election. Unless, that is, the environmental movement and our allies can frustrate the Trump regime—just as we did during the first Trump administration.”
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