Strategic Expert Groups (SEGs)
Tackling the environmental damage caused by modern societal behaviours – climate change, plastic pollution, resource depletion, biodiversity loss – is going to take collective effort and knowledge.
CIWM members and volunteers have the skills, expertise and passion to help combat these growing challenges. As the professional body for resource and waste managers, it’s our job to help facilitate these solutions, and our Policy & Innovation Forum and Strategic Expert Groups will play a major role in this mission.
Led by CIWM members and volunteers, the SEGs will reflect the constantly shifting policy and industry landscapes and work at a broad, strategic level. They offer an opportunity for CIWM to foster the knowledge and insights of its members to give them the tools to make measurable changes.
We want SEGs to mobilise the industry to make the most of the opportunities presented by government reforms and build a lasting and resilient sector that can drive real changes and protect and conserve our planet for future generations to come.
Infrastructure, Services and Operation Strategic Expert Group
This Strategic Expert Group (SEG) will be the lead technical group helping CIWM deliver its Policy and Innovation Forum three-year plan. Developing its own working plan to prioritise the drive towards a circular economy and CIWM's strategy of a World beyond Waste.
This group has a broad remit, covering all waste streams from household, commercial, industrial as well as specific streams like litter, construction and demolition waste. Covering collection, transport, handling and treating waste calls for a broad membership for the SEG but hopefully it will also appeal to regulatory, legal and contractual expert members of CIWM.
SEG members will champion infrastructure, services and operations for CIWM, raising CIWM’s profile in relevant circles and communities. Being a member of the SEG presents the opportunity to shape the future of the infrastructure, services and operational aspect of the resources and waste sector.
This SEG held its first meeting in July 2023 and agreed its Terms of Reference.
Climate Emergency Strategic Expert Group
CIWM has announced the formation of a new Climate Emergency Strategic Expert Group to oversee and guide its work on Net Zero.
There are wide ranging opinions regarding potential solutions to tackle climate change, but there is no panacea or single organisation/body that will solve this issue on its own. The effectiveness of CIWM’s Climate Emergency SEG will therefore be judged on its ability to bring together other likeminded organisations and to coordinate actions to provide the necessary scale of response. For waste and resource management in particular, this will involve representation from all types of wastes producers, handlers and facility operators, including, for example, food waste.
The work of the Climate Emergency SEG will be fundamental to the identification of what the sector needs and how best we can serve those needs. The Climate Emergency SEG will act as ‘agents of change’ and challenge and will be the guiding mind behind CIWM’s climate change work, which will one day bear the fruit of moving the world beyond waste.
The SEG has agreed its Terms of Reference.
Producer Responsibility Strategic Expert Group
The Producer Responsibility SEG exists to provide technical and policy related expertise to CIWM and the resources and waste sector on matters relating to existing and potential producer responsibility frameworks, and other resources and waste related legislation in the relating to The Environment Act 2021.
The SEG will consider technical and policy related matters on the practical aspects of Producer Responsibility, and allied legislation, of relevance to the resources and waste sector and CIWM’s membership.
The first meeting of this SEG was 31 October, followed by a second on 30 November 2023.
Behaviour Change Strategic Expert Group
The Behaviour Change SEG exists to provide specialist expertise to CIWM and the resources and waste sector on the human factors and practical measures to encourage behaviour change, as well as being a knowledge hub relating to behaviour change expertise.
The SEG will consider and be seen as the lead technical advisory body within CIWM on behaviour change methodologies and practices that impact on, and relate to, the future use of resources and achieving sustainable recovery from wastes. Encourging and supporting businesses, local authorities and the public to adopt behaviours that support and accelerate the circular society.
The first meeting was 4 December 2023 and they have agreed their Terms of Reference .
Resource Efficient Design Strategic Expert Group
The Resource Efficient Design SEG exists to provide specialist expertise to CIWM, the resources and waste sector, and the wider value-chain including the design community, on matters relating to determining, applying, and promoting design principles which will result in products being placed on the market being efficient in terms of resource use but which also facilitate desirable end-of-life options such as re-use, repair, and recycling.
The SEG will consider and be seen as the lead technical advisory body within CIWM for the collation of information relating to best practices in resource efficient design and designing for end-of-life considerations. The SEG is about the essentials of how CIWM and the wider sector should address the challenges in achieving resource efficient design and designing products for their end-of-life and support CIWM’s purpose to move the world beyond waste.
The first meeting was 10 June 2024.