Sustainability Counts

The following submission has been prepared under the aegis of the Environment, Health and Safety Committee of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

We welcome the opportunity to comment on this document and the other recent DETR consultation papers on sustainability. Professional chemists, like other concerned citizens, will have a variety of views on many aspects of this wide-ranging paper. However, the following comments are written from the perspective of the profession of chemistry.

We agree with the concept and ethos of sustainable development which is not an option but an essential requirement for the continued existence of mankind. Overall we support the general philosophy underlying the proposals and the adoption of 'headline indicators'. We would suggest however that the proposal should contain suggestions for activities to generate greater understanding of the need for sustainability in all activities and means to achieve it, and of how these indicators should be used.

For the aims of the document to be achieved sustainability must be a central element in planning for each of the areas shown in Chart 1 [page 7]. The paper makes no mention of setting targets for the indicators. Setting targets for the indicators will give some notion of the improvement required and how quickly progress is being made. Will this be the subject of a
future consultation document?