“The platform provided by the European Commission’s recently launched Strategy on the Sustainable Use of Natural Resources1 creates a welcome opportunity for business to contribute directly to the goals of EU environment policy”, says Dr. Kevin Bradley, Director-General of the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE).

Commenting ahead of an important EU conference on natural resources2 Dr. Bradley says: “ACE supports in particular the Strategy’s emphasis on the role to be played by industrial sectors in reducing the environmental impacts over the life cycle of the resources they use”.

ACE’s belief is that the Commission’s goal of minimizing environmental impact and increasing resource productivity can be achieved in practice by concerted action between players in a given sector.

“It also makes sound sense for the Commission to highlight the need to measure and report on actual progress made towards these goals over a given time period, says Dr. Bradley. “Beyond a general commitment to resource stewardship”, he says, “it is important to show that specific actions are delivering measurable results, and to make these results available to relevant stakeholders.”

“The beverage carton industry” says Dr. Bradley, “is happy to share its experience of tackling resource productivity and environmental impacts on a sector basis, and its tools for measuring progress. We are committed to further progress and support the Commission’s attempts to encourage this through its Strategy.”

Finally, ACE believes that achievement of objectives on resource productivity and environmental impact reduction can be enhanced by actions undertaken by business in response to related Commission initiatives, e.g. the EU Action Plan on Sustainable Forest Management, the proposed Biodiversity Strategy, the Action Plan on Biomass Energy and the Thematic Strategy on the Prevention and Recycling of Waste.

See also ACE’s Response to the Thematic Strategy on the Sustainable Use of Natural Resources at: www.ace.be

1 Thematic Strategy on the Sustainable Use of Natural Resources, see link at: europa.eu.int/comm/environment/natres/pdf/com_natres_en.pdf

2 ‘Europe’s Natural Resources – Securing a Sustainable Future’, 28 March 2006, IPC Résidence Palace