Budget 2008: Stability and opportunity: building a strong and sustainable future
The 2008 Budget was announced by Alistair Darling, Chancellor of the Exchequer, on March 12. Some of the main points with regard to social and environmental responsibility are:
> Skills development will be pushed forward with further implementation of the Leitch Review, which considers skills development in the UK.
> Action will be taken with energy companies and Ofgem to help vulnerable groups deal with rising energy prices.
> Alcohol duty rates will be increased by 6%.
> Five-year carbon budgets will be announced in the Budget 2009.
> Fuel duty rates will rise in October 2008 as well as April 2010.
> There will be reform to car vehicle excise duty rates to encourage the development and purchase of lower carbon emitting cars.
> Support for sustainable bio-fuels will be increased.
> The climate change levy will be increased in line with inflation.
> Legislation for imposing a charge on single-use carrier bags will be introduced.
> Air passenger duty will be replaced by a duty payable per plane.
David Cameron, the Conservative Party leader, outlined how a Conservative government would go about encouraging business to be more responsible. A light but effective touch was published on March 17 and is the final report of the Conservative Party Working Group on Responsible Business.
The report examines the role of government in encouraging responsible business, makes a number of recommendations, considers the role of small and medium-sized businesses and also looks as issues such as responsible business practices overseas, community engagement and climate change.
The European Commission announced, on January 30, that it was proposing new legislation with regard to the nutritional labelling of food. The aim of this legislation is to “promote healthier diets amongst EU citizens” and under the new proposals, pre-packaged food will have to display key nutritional information.
The energy, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates with reference to sugar and salt content per 100 ml/g or per portion of the products are displayed clearly on the front of the packet. Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) will also have to be indicated. The Commission also added that “industry should also benefit from the proposed new rules, as they set up a clearer, more harmonised legislative framework for food labelling and create a level playing field for all operators”.
The Chinese government will make it more difficult for listed companies to raise money unless they disclose more information about their environmental records. The “green securities” plan is an initiative by the State Environmental Protection Administration and part of it is already being implemented – businesses in the aluminium, steel and cement industries need approval from SEPA before they can sell shares. The move is all part of China’s bid to be seen as more environmentally aware before the Olympics in August this year.
Forum for the Future, the UK-based sustainable development organisation, launched a Sustainable Procurement Toolkit on March 6, which is aimed at helping public sector buyers incorporate social and environmental factors when they are making their procurement decisions. The toolkit supports a report also launched on March 6 – Buying A Better World – which also looks at sustainable public procurement and outlines practical actions that can be taken to improve the sustainability of any area in public services. The role of the toolkit is to help buyers take action immediately.
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