Sustain and partners win Defra contract
(16 January 2013) - Sustain, one of the UK's leading sustainability companies, has won a contract with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to lead a consortium of waste management experts, including researchers at the University of Bristol’s Industrial Doctorate Centre in Systems.
The overarching aim of the project is to enable Defra to develop better in-house systems thinking and System Dynamics modelling skills that can be used to support their work in policy development and evaluation. Specifically, during the project these methods will be applied to the development of the Waste Prevention Programme for England (WPP) and in enhancing the evidence base of packaging waste recycling.
The consortium’s work is part of the Government’s long term plans to work towards a zero waste economy - a key part of the Coalition Agreement.
Dr Jean-Yves Cherruault, Head of Product and Supply Chain at Sustain, said:
“Waste is a complex problem with a multitude of stakeholders, including consumers, local authorities, retailers and manufacturers. Waste generation and management is embedded in our society and it is important to understand better how the various parts of the waste system interact with each other.”
The consortium will explore how systems thinking and Systems Dynamics can assist Defra to better manage this complexity. They envisage that a more holistic approach could complement existing analysis methods used in policy appraisal, such as cost benefit analysis. According to Rachel Freeman, Sustain’s systems expert and a Research Engineer at the University of Bristol’s Industrial Doctorate Centre in Systems:
"A systems thinking approach allows policy makers to deal with the complexity of the real world by capturing the dynamic interactions between policy, infrastructure, stakeholders, and material flows and how they evolve over time. System Dynamics is a widely used formal systems modelling methodology, and in this project Defra staff will receive training in the use of Vensim, a software package in which System Dynamics models can be built, parameterised and tested, producing quantitative results. These results can then be used to support policy decision making."
The consortium comprises: Sustain; Ventana Systems UK, System Dynamics modelling experts and software providers; Dr Mike Yearworth of Bristol University’s Systems Centre, providing systems thinking and modelling expertise; and Veolia Environmental Services (UK) PLC who will provide waste management industry expertise.
Dr Cherruault added:
“We are delighted to be working with Defra and the other organisations within the consortium and anticipate that there will be two principal outcomes of this research project.
“Firstly, a group of policy makers, analysts and other experts within Defra will gain better knowledge of and hands-on experience in systems thinking and System Dynamics modelling to support their work.
“Secondly, Defra staff will develop two different systems models: a qualitative system diagram of the system of product production and use, focusing on waste prevention through activities such as repair and re-use, and a quantitative System Dynamics model of packaging waste recycling in different sectors and for different waste streams.
“The UK buries or burns around £650m worth of valuable materials a year. Preventing waste and improving resource efficiency can lead to reduced costs, energy use, carbon emissions, and water use, and help prevent the future scarcity of valuable materials, which is a real concern for UK manufacturers.“
