These collaborative research programmes offer valuable insight into the practicalities and efficacy of the ‘real world’ implementation of different policies, whether aimed at, for example, changing the behaviour of individuals or working with communities to bring about more systemic change. However, they also raise important conceptual questions regarding the robustness, validity and generalisability of data generated, as well as posing practical challenges for all involved.

In March 2011, SDRN organised a small workshop in collaboration with DECC with the aim of bringing together those within research and policy involved in such projects. The workshop sought to provide an opportunity to share learning, discuss current challenges, and consider how best to undertake collaborative action-based research in the future.

This short report summarises the main discussions and findings from the workshop, setting out the main points of discussion and including a consideration of the challenges of action-based research approaches and the ways in which these can be overcome. It concludes with a discussion of the main strengths of the approach and poses questions which those involved in action research should consider for the future. Finally, the report’s annex presents a snapshot of some of the projects currently being undertaken in the UK.

Download the report here

Prof. Lillford trained as a physical chemist and a bio-chemist, and worked for Unilever as a research scientist from 1971-2001, ending his career as Chief Scientist for Foods. From 1993 until 1997 he was Chairman of the Food & Drink Panel of the UK Government’s Technology Foresight Programme, allowing him to practice scenario planning for the Food Chain. After retiring as Chief Scientist, he accepted a Visiting Chair in the Public Understanding of Science at York University. Since then he has encouraged institutions, businesses and individuals to prepare for a new future where continuous change is to be expected, and will be competitive.

The talk will take place on 11th January 2011 at Fyvie Hall, University of Westminster, 309 Regent Street, London

17.15 - 17.30 - Registration and arrival
17.30 - 18.15 - Prof. Lillford’s lecture
18.15 onwards - Q&A session
Followed by drinks and nibbles

The report calls for more to be done to engage small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with resource efficiency and suggests that intermediary organisations, such as banks, need to promote the agenda further.

The report is based on a programme of work undertaken on behalf of SDRN by AEA Technology. The workstream explored what is required to improve the operating effectiveness of businesses in the UK and culminated in a research workshop earlier this year. A mix of policy makers and academics, as well as representatives from NGOs, and the corporate sector attended the event, providing a diverse range of opinions on the issues that were discussed.  

Key findings of SDRN’s Business Resource Efficiency workstream, which can be found in the report, include: 

• Many businesses still perceive resource efficiency as a distraction from the core purpose of a business. Support programmes should help businesses realise that they can achieve their core objective better and more efficiently by adopting more sustainable practises.
• More consistent messages on resource efficiency are needed; a single ‘language’ would improve the communication of resource efficiency messages to businesses.
• Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and micro-businesses are less engaged with business resource efficiency. Future support programmes need to do more to ‘reach out’ to SMEs.
• The recession provides a perfect opportunity for encouraging businesses to become more resource efficient. Support programmes need to concentrate on communicating this message, and should identify the best means of reaching all businesses. There is an important role for intermediary organisations, like banks, in this.

The full report summarising findings from the research workshop, which focused primarily on support programmes for businesses in England, can be downloaded here: SDRN BRE Report.

[If you experience any problems trying to download the report, please email Kate McGeevor k.mcgeevor@psi.org.uk to request a copy]

The workshop will bring together senior policy-makers, engineers and science manager/advisors in government in Defra and beyond to discuss and explore:

• the existing and potential role of engineering in sustainable development policy, research and delivery;
• the advantages a greater input from engineering and engineers might bring to these areas;
• specific policy agendas of relevance to sustainable development in which engineering has or could add value and potentially redirect policy;
• the actions that could be taken by government, the research community and engineering profession to better capture these benefits.

This event is being held as part of SDRN’s Research into Practice workstream.

Catalysed by the meeting a number of other possibilities are being explored, including engineering placements within Defra to ensure that engineering expertise is brought to bear on policy formulation and implementation. For further information, please contact Ben Watson at PSI.

The case for resource efficiency - Julie Hill
Resource efficiency policy framework - Bernie Walsh
Envirowise Programme - Simon Drury
Solutions for Business - Julie Bott
Improving your resource efficiency product - Bernie Walsh
Good practice: Ginsters - Mark Bartlett
Good practice: Machester United - Keith McIntosh
How can business resource efficiency be managed? - Steve Creed
Communicating resource efficiency to business - Simon Drury
Resource efficiency challenges in the manufacturing sector - Susanne Baker

Key points to emerge during the day’s discussions included:

• There was agreement among participants that several existing resource efficiency support programmes for businesses, including Envirowise and NISP, have worked very well, as have policy levers aimed at improving resource efficiency, particularly Landfill Tax. The workshop heard two inspiring examples from Ginsters and Manchester United, both of whom have developed exemplar sustainable procurement and resource efficiency programmes.
• However, it was also agreed that the number of programmes in the past has caused confusion and that a single interface for business support, in the form of BERR’s new Solutions for Business programme, will be very valuable. The need for more consistent messages to business and a single ‘language’ of resource efficiency was called for.
• While support programmes have been successful at reaching larger businesses, there remain several types of businesses – in particular, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and micro-businesses - that are not engaged with resource efficiency, often because they see themselves as being too small to benefit. SMEs account for 99.9% of all enterprises in the UK and it is therefore important for existing resource efficiency support programmes to explore what else can be done to ‘reach out’ to a greater number of SME’s.
• In addition, certain types of businesses find resource efficiency difficult for other reasons. Rural businesses, for example, are limited by infrastructure and a lack of access to waste and recycling services. Although technology lists have helped to some extent, important equipment – such as waste balers – remain missing from these list. Services that enable businesses to access this equipment more readily are needed.
• The prescriptive nature of product standards was also seen by many to limit innovation and improved resource efficiency. By stipulating specific materials rather than the qualities and specifications the material should meet, manufacturers have little scope to trial more innovative materials.
• Overall, workshop attendees agreed that the current economic situation provides a perfect opportunity for encouraging businesses to become more resource efficient; the high cost savings that come hand in hand with better resource use is a considerable incentive for businesses to act. Support programmes need to concentrate on communicating this message, and should identify the best means of reaching all businesses. This need not be direct communications; improved supply chain management and the use of intermediaries that have close relationships with small businesses (such as banks) were just two suggested communication routes.

A full workshop report will be available on this website very shortly, while an agenda and full attendee list can be downloaded here.

Download the speaker presentations:

Jacqui Wilkinson, Department for Transport
Rynd Smith, Royal Town Planning Institute
Oliver Smith, Department of Health
Paul Osbourne, Sustrans
Jim McAllister, Dunsfold Park

Should you have problems viewing any of our attachments, please click here: Help with opening attachments

The Workstream will address the following questions:

• How have messages and information about resource efficiency been communicated to businesses in the UK in the past? How is communication likely to improve in light of the recent changes to the resource efficiency programmes?
• What are the challenges to engaging all types of businesses in the resource efficiency agenda and what prevents them from acting?

The Workstream will draw on the experiences of stakeholders from the business community as well as those from resource efficiency business support programmes and implementing organisations.

A one-day workshop will take place in March 2009 and aims to bring together representatives from relevant organisations to discuss existing communication strategies to identify ways that these strategies could perhaps be improved to better meet the needs of businesses.

The Workstream will culminate with a Summary Report, which will present to the SDRN and relevant organisations expert analysis of key discussions and results from the workshop. The Summary Report is expected to be of value to policy-makers and will deliver feedback that complements other consultation activities currently underway.

The report, researched and written by Land Use Consultants (LUC) and The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), has recommended that policy appraisal approaches need to be developed which play a more influential role within the spatial planning process. Although the report uncovered evidence of areas where SA recommendations are making a real difference to development plan policies, evidence was also found which suggests that recommendations are often ignored.

Other key areas for improvement which were identified include a need to make the Sustainability Appraisal process more practitioner-friendly as well as a need for joint-working practices between spatial planning practitioners, other policy-makers and members of the research community.

CLG Chief Planner, Steve Quartermain, has said of the report: “Sustainability Appraisal is integral to good plan-making, and is a fast developing area. SDRN’s report provides a valuable contribution in this regard. We have commissioned further research which aims to address some of the recommendations set out in the SDRN report, by helping to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of sustainability appraisal and strategic environmental assessment practice in spatial planning in England.”

Download the full report. 

Please note if you get an “The file is damaged and could not be repaired” error message, You are most likely encountering this error due to a cache limitation on your browser. This PDF is quite large, 149mb in size. To get around this problem, please right click the download link and choose the ‘Save as…’ option. This will save the PDF directly to your computer instead of opening it in the browser first.