Latest Documents

21-September-2015

English

Critical Minerals Today and in 2030: An Analysis for OECD Countries - Environment Working Paper

Raw materials are essential for the global economy and future development depends on their continued supply. Like fossil fuels, minerals are non-renewable. In general, their deposits in the Earth’s crust are also geographically clustered, making security of supply a potential risk. The purpose of this report is to perform for the first time an analysis of critical minerals for the OECD countries as a whole.

25-March-2015

English

Circular logic: why we don’t have to destroy to develop - Insights Blog

When considering a by-product, can this material or waste be used in another industry or in another manufacturing process instead of putting it into the environment, moving “from waste to resources” as the OECD says?

12-February-2015

English

Material Resources, Productivity and the Environment

Improving resource productivity and ensuring a sustainable resource and materials management building on the principle of the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) is a central element of green growth policies. It helps to improve the environment, by reducing the amount of resources that the economy requires and diminishing the associated environmental impacts, and sustain economic growth by securing adequate supplies of materials and improving competitiveness. To be successful such policies need to be founded on a good understanding of how minerals, metals, timber or other materials flow through the economy throughout their life cycle, and of how this affects the productivity of the economy and the quality of the environment. This report contributes to this understanding. It describes the material basis of OECD economies and provides a factual analysis of material flows and resource productivity in OECD countries in a global context. It considers the production and consumption of materials, as well as their international flows and available stocks, and the environmental implications associated with their use. It also describes some of the challenges and opportunities associated with selected materials and products that are internationally-significant, both in economic and environmental terms (aluminium, copper, iron and steel, paper, phosphate rock and rare earth elements).

29-October-2014

English

Making obsolescence obsolete: design to reduce waste - Insights blog

Let’s be honest, waste reduction doesn’t have much of a ring to it. To many, it’s a complex policy issue without much hope if consumers keep throwing their cans away in the street.

14-June-2014

English

Message in a bottle: Producers not taxpayers should pay for the waste they generate - Insights Blog

Have you ever wondered who was paying to recycle that plastic bottle you just threw away?

17-October-2012

English

Sustainable Materials Management - Making Better Use of Resources

Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) is increasingly recognised as a policy approach that can make a key contribution to green growth and the challenges that are posed by sustained global economic and demogarphic growth. One of the key challenges of the SMM approach is to effectively address the environmental impacts that can occur along the life-cycle of materials, which frequently extends across borders and involves a multitude of different economic actors. This book outlines a series of policy principles for SMM, examines how to set and use targets for SMM, and explores various policy instruments for SMM. In addition it provides examples of policy action plans from the UK and the Netherlands, before presenting a series of conclusions and recommendations.

20-May-2011

English, , 1,689kb

Resource Productivity in the G8 and the OECD

This report on “Resource Productivity in the G8 and the OECD”, which responds to a request by G8 Environment Ministers at their meeting in Kobe in May 2008, presents an interim evaluation of progress in the last three years.

27-January-2009

English

Report of the 2nd survey on SMM-Related Activities in OECD Countries

This report provides a synthesis of government responses to the 2008 OECD survey on incentives toward Sustainable Materials Management (SMM).

15-December-2008

English

Front-Runners' Experience on Sustainable Materials Management (SMM)

This report summarises the main results that emerged from discussion at the 2nd OECD Workshop on Sustainable Materials Management which was hosted by Israel in Tel-Aviv, 7-9 April 2008.

30-September-2008

English

A Study on Methodologies Relevant to the OECD Approach on Sustainable Materials Management

This study provides an overview of ten methodologies used, directly or indirectly, to assess material use in terms of its potential impacts on the environment, benefits to society and value for the economy. The purpose of the study is to promote understanding of the strengths and limitations of the methodologies, in terms of their potential application as part of a strategy to promote more sustainable management of materials. The

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