‌Improving resource efficiency is among the top priorities in today’s world, as governments, businesses and civil society are increasingly concerned about natural resource use, environmental impacts, material prices and supply security.

On the 23-25 April 2008, the OECD and UNEP held a conference in Paris on resource efficiency. This multi-stakeholder conference brought together governments, businesses, international organisations and civil society to review how improved resource efficiency can reduce the negative environmental impacts of natural resource extraction, materials processing, use and disposal, while securing adequate supplies of materials to sustain economic activity.

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Supporting activities steered by G8 summits, including the 3R initiative promoted under the presidencies of Germany and Japan in 2007 and 2008, this conference reviewed:

• Knowledge and information about material flows and resource productivity and their economic and environmental implications.
• Policies, measures and instruments that help reduce environmental impacts from the production and consumption of resources, and avoid waste of resources.
• The framework conditions for markets and public policies to play their role in improving resource efficiency and ensuring sustainable resource use, considering the related development and governance aspects.
  
  

The focus was on specific flows of materials (e.g. metals, plastics, paper, materials included in electronics), and on selected key sectors (e.g. mining, manufacturing, recycling, distribution).

• Top-level and senior government officials
• Business leaders
• Leaders of trade unions and environmental non governmental organisations (NGOs)
• Representatives of intergovernmental organisations
  
  

• The meeting of OECD Environment Ministers took place shortly following this event.
• The meeting of the International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management hosted by UNEP took place in May.
• Conference on Resource Efficiency:
  
  • Conclusions by the conference co-chairs
  • Programme
  • Who's Who

www.oecd.org/environment/resourceefficiency