To encourage waste prevention and minimisation and to manage materials in a sustainable manner, the OECD is developing policies and tools in the following areas:

· 1) Sustainable Materials Management (SMM)   

OECD is exploring a new integrated approach, SMM, which addresses the management, in a cost-effective manner, of materials throughout their life-cycle.  It also ensures that the negative impacts from material use and consumption are not relegated to the end of the material's chain.

· 2) Environmentally Sound management of Waste (ESM) 

Over 4 billion tonnes of waste is generated each year in OECD countries.  The environmentally sound and economically efficient management of this waste has to be ensured. OECD has developed policy and technical guidelines (as an OECD “recommendation ”) on Environmentally Sound Management of Waste (ESM).

· 3) Transboundary Movements of Waste

Imports and exports of waste destined for recovery within the OECD area are subject to a control system which has been developed by the OECD on the basis of a legal Act: Decision C(2001)107/FINAL , and allows to trade recyclable materials in an environmentally safe manner. An interactive database provides the necessary information for competent authorities and exporters/importers to complete the notification and movement documents for transboundary movements of waste.

· 4) Waste Prevention and Minimisation

 While prevention has always been considered the preferred option to minimise waste generation, only minor progress has been achieved in this area. Various other tools are being studied: Material Flow Accounting, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)  and Green Public Procurement . Economic aspects of waste policies have also been examined, in particular barriers and failures of recycling markets .