Background

This Programme provides core support for the product policy aspects of the UK Government Framework for Sustainable Consumption and Production. Sustainable consumption and production is a key element of 'Securing the Future - UK Government Sustainable Development Strategy'.

The Market Transformation Programme (MTP) also contributes to a number of other Government policies and programmes, for example the new Business Resource Efficiency and Waste programme (BREW) and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR). Funding from BREW has facilitated the expansion of programme coverage into waste aspects of products.


What is Sustainable Consumption and Production?

The Government defines Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) as:

A major shift to deliver new products and services with lower environmental impacts across their life cycle, while at the same time boosting competitiveness. And the need to build on people's growing awareness of social and environmental concerns, and the importance of their roles as citizens and consumers.
                                                                                                                  Securing the Future

Sustainable consumption and production requires us to achieve more with less. Success will involve tackling complex factors which affect consumption and production patterns. Social and cultural values lie behind people's aspirations and choices. Manufacturers and retailers have a major influence on both consumers and supply chains. Individual actions are often determined by local infrastructure, such as housing or transport links. Change will require innovation in both technologies and behaviours.

MTP has a particular focus on the role of products in this situation: Many of the avoidable impacts that arise from the choices people make, in what they consume and how they use and dispose of products, are already "designed-in", long before they reach the end-consumer. The 'product' aspects of SCP, of which MTP is a key part, are focussed on:

  • Developing and maintaining a robust evidence base on impacts and trends arising from products[1] across their life-cycles.
  • Ensuring reliable product information is available and is used to inform policy decisions, consumer choices and instruments like public procurement.
  • Working with stakeholders to set effective standards across product life-cycles, creating an environment that stimulates innovation and eco-design.

[1] the definition of 'products' includes services as well as goods in line with the approach in ISO standards and other normative documents.


How does MTP operate?

MTP's aim is achieved by providing consensus-based information to Government, its agencies, industry, trade bodies and others who are involved in designing and implementing policies and measures that influence the environmental impact of products. The Programme

  • gathers evidence and draws up action plans in consensus with a wide range of stakeholders.
  • quantifies the impact of products, and develops plans for how various policy measures could best transform the market for each major product type.
  • estimates the environmental impact savings that could be achieved through the proposed mix of policies to help prioritisation.
  • works with stakeholders to publish reliable information about the environmental performance of products as well as current and anticipated future performance standards.
  • seeks to establish the role that innovation could play in achieving policy goals.

MTP is managed by Defra's Sustainable Products and Materials Division through a consortium of contractors. The lead contractor is AEA Technology plc, working with the Building Research Establishment, Intertek Research and Testing Centre and Consumer Research Associates and a growing number of other experts as required.

MTP holds regular stakeholder meetings to develop policy strategies for domestic and commercial products. Join an Interest Group to receive information about future meetings and updates on policy developments in your area of interest. Opportunities for contributing to the MTP will be advertised as they become available.


What products does MTP cover?

The programme covers products that consume large amounts of energy and water at the point of use and are responsible for a significant waste and hazardous materials arising at end of their useful life:

  • All major domestic energy-consuming appliances (lighting, heating, cold, wet, cooking and consumer electronics).
  • Traded goods in the commercial sector (office equipment, motors and drives, lighting, commercial refrigeration and air conditioning).
  • Domestic and non-domestic water products (showers, toilets and other bathroom products).

The programme also incorporates Defra's work on the Ecolabel.

The scope of the programme is now expanding to capture waste impacts of both energy using and non energy using products. For a full list of products see Product Strategy area.


What are the benefits?

MTP helps business to:

  • Influence product policy and thereby achieve an optimum balance between business and environmental issues.
  • Understand future product policies and market trends that can inform business planning and help manage business risks.
  • Secure fair competition and innovation through reliable product information and internationally agreed standards.
  • Reduce direct and indirect costs related to compliance, disposal, downstream waste liability etc.
  • Trade more freely through harmonisation of international standards.

MTP benefits Government through:

  • Informing decisions on which products to prioritise for product policy, through quantifying the environmental impact of all major products.
  • Improving product policy decision-making, through providing consensus-based action plans on the most appropriate set of measures, and their timescales.
  • Assisting policy and programme implementation, through publishing robust product performance standards for adoption into a wide range of policies.

Click HERE to see a number of case studies demonstrating how the programme has achieved market transformation.


What is BREW?

The Business Resource Efficiency and Waste (BREW) Programme has been created to return additional landfill tax receipts to business, from April 2005, in a way that supports businesses by improving their waste management and resource efficiency. This will mostly be achieved through developing and expanding existing programmes that have already proven successful. One of the programmes that is receiving support is MTP.

To date, MTP has focused on reducing carbon emissions from products in-use. The challenge now is to extend MTP to address whole life resource efficiency. For example, MTP is already addressing water efficiency of domestic appliances and waste from televisions. As a direct result of BREW funding, in 2005/06 MTP plan to deal more comprehensively with:

  • Waste and hazardous materials arising at end of product life.
  • Energy and water consumed through product manufacture.

Working with delivery partners, this first year of the BREW programme will see MTP building its product information to identify which products and impacts present the best opportunity for mitigating environmental impact in future years.

For more information on the BREW Programme and links to other BREW supported programmes visit www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/brew


How is MTP funded?

Funding of MTP comes from a number of sources. Core funding for the programme has been provided historically from Defra's Environment Business and Consumers (EBC) Division, more recently as part of the Government's Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) strategy. During 2005/06 MTP has also become one of a number of delivery bodies under the BREW programme. BREW was initiated in April 2005, and aims to return additional landfill tax receipts to business in a way that supports businesses in improving their resource efficiency and waste management. BREW funding is allowing MTP to expand its remit to cover product related waste impacts, focusing initially on end of life impacts.

A key aim for MTP is to develop co-operative relationships with other Government policies and programmes; some of these may result in additional funding for collaborative activities. In addition, the programme seeks opportunities for funding from other sources where these afford good synergy with the programme aims.


How has MTP performed?

The performance of the programme is routinely monitored against a series of performance indicators. These have been designed to assess the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the Programme and its activities. The performance indicators feed into the Programme's overall evaluation framework, and the results are reported on an annual basis.

Please click HERE to download the pdf file of a report entitled 'Independent Review of the Market Transformation Programme' by Professor John H Chesshire (published 2000).