EEESafe GRJ0068
Written evidence submission from EEESafe
The Appliance Repair Sector had been diminishing for years because we were a throwaway society. Estimates are not easy to locate where related to net zero emission, but there are factors showing our sector is set to grow. The Welsh Government have committed to invest in Reuse and Repair, (Beyond Recycling) where they are investing in Green Skills, qualifications and Circular Economy in Government policy. The Environment Audit Committee and the Welsh Government also recognise Safety is a key consideration especially in reuse and repair of Electrical Equipment. These are all solutions our own company can bring its experience and expertise to the table. See how we can Retrain for a Circular Economy, using our own Training Materials and Programme, bringing 14.133 more Jobs using WRAP’s Forecast & Defra’s Collection Targets, when divert waste to Reuse and Repair. The Jobs Market on one recruitment site currently shows 1761 However, using our Training and Community model, there are obviously going to be smarter social value, tackling poverty and GHG positive outcomes, by providing more low costs goods in each community.
2. Does the UK workforce have the skills and capacity needed to deliver the green jobs required to meet our net zero target and other environmental ambitions (including in the 25-year environment plan)?
The Gov 25 Year plan cites Waste Minimisation and Mitigation for Climate Change for communities. The plan also includes the EA’s commitment to the Reuse of EEE, however it does not determine any competency requirements when advising when an item is Waste or Not. It leaves this to Reuse Centres, Charities and Householders to determine whether its beyond repair without expressing the need for a Competent Person in Electrical Reuse or Repair. The reasons why we feel this is required, is to do with consumer safety and product conformity, which we’ve provided a link in Question 3. Therefore, we do not believe the skills capacity is there when it should be recognised that we can assist with this. There are many jobs advertised for the waste, but also you can find a reversal of forecasting in repair jobs at this document. We believe with assistance, we can launch a programme to build and support a UK network of Regional Training Centres, where our licences materials and training can be outsourced to create local safe and skilled repairers. Existing Compliance Schemes only teach robotic skills of assembly and disassembly and sell used goods and spares back to the communities where the waste arose or came through Distribution Takeback Schemes. These full appliances are then offered via Financial Credit schemes, which only increase debt, lack an independent Safety Standard and do not deliver the optimal sustainability option. This removes local repair work to local economies. They fail to deliver diagnostic skills, independent assessed repair competence, electrical safety competence and generic product skills applied across all brands. This is highlighted in our “Do you know they know what they are doing” Article on this HERE.
3. What needs to be done to ensure that these skills and capacity are developed in time to meet our environmental targets?
We need to upskill and/or train new entrants into the Sector of Large Appliance Repairs and make them Green, Circular Economy Safe Repairers, in an accountable and evidenced model. Apprenticeships may exist, but are costly, expensive to fulfil, do not fit into a Circular Economy and Waste Prevention model and are also too long to achieve outcomes that can contribute evidence towards Net Zero and other Policy targets. What is required and why from a safety and skills perspective has already been highlighted in our Article (Do they know). We can lead strongly due do our experience and knowledge as we’ve previously trained 4000+ technicians over 40 years, as you will see from that article. Our Training has changed now as we’ve closed the one Training Centre we had, but have developed a model and Training Materials, to allow Training The Trainer in all Regions of the UK. We have developed a Qualification and Assessment materials aligned to National Occupational Standards and seek to become an Awarding Body in due course. Our model interfaces with a Community Platform using our own Appliance Safety Register which BEIS/OPSS have no objection to, but it should be noted we were the first Independent Appliance Safety Register online. Our Register will lead to the capture of Carbon and Waste saving metrics, by person and community, including access to many other useful apps. We will the build a picture of UK Wide Green Skills with our new Fit For Purpose Circular Economy Repairers living in each community, by Electoral Ward. They will be accredited by EEESafe to build consumer trust and engagement and we will divert goods from the Register, straight to the local Repairers. We would like to see this supported by Government and recognise EEESafe and it’s IP, which consumers should easily recognise as synonymous with Gas Safe for Gas Appliances as EEESafe for Electrical Appliances, particularly with Used Goods.
4. What measures should the Government take to ensure that its proposals to meet environmental targets do not by default lead to jobs in affected industries being exported?
We feel it should support our Sustainability Award Winning Company (at 4 mins into that video link), to help deliver and develop the many smart outcomes our model facilitates. It is a UK based model that could scale, therefore utilising our 50 years training and recycling experience which is a UK leading one, we need to export it internationally. As we are living on one planet using resources of two and a half, to three, we should in fact play our environmental part in the global community, but at the same time ensure fair wages exist in the sector, to retain skills in the UK. As an island country importing products from abroad containing critical raw materials, we need to also ensure their retention in the UK and structure Green jobs as close as possible to reprocessing technologies where we live. Involving Communities by segregating material collections locally, we could provide a more streamlined model, working more efficiently at the least harmful impact to the environment. There are risks of being held to ransom by other countries who have raw materials required in UK Manufacturing and Re-Manufacturing. Goods need to be made to last, but the use of Recycling Parts for repair through Registered Repairers such as the EEESafe scheme, can play a mitigating part, in assuring goods last longer, reducing waste and expensive imports to meet our needs. There is nothing that we know of, that is as efficient as our holistic model which is based on Place management, community engagement, behavioural change, electrical reuse/repair safety and the provision of licenced training materials ready to use.
We believe the Government should be working smarter in challenges it has across many sectors, by scrutinising the clear links in between Green Jobs Skills, Repair & Reuse, Right To Repair, the Circular Economy, Climate Change and Community engagement. We have looked at this and built our model around these challenges, to help inform Government Policy and show them how to be smarter in their approach. A lot this centre’s around a better understanding at the core of the Global EEEWaste problems highlighted by the United Nations. This is worth $62 Billion GDP in all countries, not an unsubstantial amount we hasten to add. We’ve recently announced UEEESafe as yet another Certification Standard (with Qualification options), to fill the Electrical Reuse/Repair, on small appliances. It’s something for Right To Repair movements to use, as it attempts to hold governments and manufacturers to account for what are essentially, design issues. We illustrate this in detail on this ARTICLE and commend it to the Committee.
5. What risks are there to meeting the Government’s ambitions for green job creation in both the public and private sectors? What should the Government do to create the conditions to ensure its commitments are met by both sectors?
There is an increased risk of debt to consumers because governments appear to be encouraging lease/rental models for household goods and cars. Public and Private sectors should carefully consider the Pros and Cons. Ambitious targets must be measured against the wider social impact when investing in what can appear to be a Green outcome. Greenwashing is currently a disease of many companies, who are not thinking through thoroughly, the policies, products and services that underpin their objectives. There is a clear risk of misleading consumers that Compliance Schemes and the Distributor Take Back Schemes are optimising “sustainability”, as we see them remove and sell back goods to where they were collected. It appears to be overlooked that the embedded carbon, energy demand and pollution, coupled with the negative impacts to the local economies in communities. Losing local incomes, local jobs and paying finance on used goods that are offered by Compliance Scheme and Corporate Retailers are just going to increase debts for refurbished goods that could be offered locally. The current WEEE Regulations looks to hunger for more collection, designed for corporate gain, with targets that can lead to fines or high costs, when it should be focusing on delivering Reuse/Repair Targets at a local level. The DTS Scheme should be working with local safe and accountable repairers with Waste Prevention targets. Returning goods to the DTS is more harmful to people’s pockets and the Environment. Repairing local is sustainably more effective in Waste and GHG prevention as using our model, will produce Social outcomes where local skills and business products can be sustainably optimised, before removing those valuable resources from the community. To continue with the current system, will miss this opportunity for change for good through People, Place and Planet objectives. It could be an expensive mistake if we miss this, because we only have one planet.
6. Are the Government’s ambitions for green job creation in the public and private sectors sufficient for the scale of the challenges? What changes should be made?
In our sector there is a challenge to reduce the cost of repair because more items will go to waste. This is why logic dictates that the lowest cost of repair will be where an item is located in a home. Community Repairers could walk or cycle sometimes and specialise in different product categories or brands, offering an alternative option to a manufacturer and a training opportunity in a region, therefore lowering their costs and environmental impacts. Research by WRAP shows HERE what the average costs of repair were with some domestic Appliances. These were in 2012, but if anything, costs have gone up since then based on wage increases that have happened. It’s the Costs of Repair that has driven society down a throwaway route. Look at this survey from Which, through its Trusted Trader Program, and the recent BBC comments on Right To Repair by consumers. (It should be noted that Which have no independent measure of competence and safety, and also make income on its reviews via click throughs, thereby questioning their consumer independence status, which we see as conflictive and misleading.) We believe this will continue to create more waste and the creation of all harmful unnecessary embedded GHG, Energy and Pollution costs, which would otherwise be reduced if Repairs were undertaken at the community household level. Here is an article from our own research, highlighting the costs and again, and comparing with Reuse. We’d like to see HWRC’s and Housing Associations become Training Centres, gradually creating unified standards of safety and training Community Repairers where they live and skilling up their tenants and employ them for their own properties. The government should gear policy and funding to support this type of model for its obvious cross sectorial benefits and is in line with Smarter
7. How can the UK ensure jobs are created in areas most impacted by the transition to a low-carbon economy?
By incentivising engagement in a Circular Economy. We will be doing this through creating local funds in our Sustainability Model/Marketplace using different apps in a Community owned and run environment. Particularly using our Community Investors APP, that will show how each citizen is helping their community and each other. This will engage them more in Circular Economy and create more local jobs, with a focus perhaps in running Training in area of high multiple depravity. Watch our Short Video to explain how this would happen and get more citizens involved in Low Carbon Skills and jobs where they live. We already have a Rehabilitation Company looking to run our Qualification, enabling them to gain skills that will take them back to their communities and operate as a Workshop Repairer, progressing to being a Home Technician. We will be donating funds from Community Shop Sales Fees, and ring fencing it to the community offering a democratic voting system on every issue of funds. We will promote Volunteering and the Creation of a Community Currency to allow businesses to reward people who have been giving the Currency, and overall, promote a Responsible Consumption Model, capturing Sustainability and Community Metrics from businesses as well as citizens. This means the unemployed and those in poverty can still be active in their community, receiving food and other services offered by the community or businesses. We will operate Sharing Goods directly with each other in the Community, and allow repairers to lease repaired appliances, whilst maintaining their local warranties cost effectively. All of these services will help Social Service and Support Groups to get people back into work and be less dependent on the benefits system. It also has a strong alignment to the UK Social Value Act. As a model with a “self imposed tax” to transparently give money to citizens where they live, something not seen easily in charities, so we commend this as a great incentive to create jobs where people live, and engage in Low Carbon Tools and Skills.
8. What additional interventions should be undertaken to aid in a ‘just transition’?
From our perspective we see Climate Change continuing to damage our planet and communities most affected would be in Coastal areas, but it’s not of course exclusive. We are seeing progress to overcome the Pandemic now which has been like a Hurricane on every economy in the world. As we look back, it’s perhaps more obvious that we can all be better citizens, as highlighted by the Communities coming together. Our own Community Model has been in concept for 12 years+ but was and is designed to include all members of each community within their own local social network and aligned to Responsible Consumption, Waste Prevention, Local Skills development, Tackling Poverty and Community ownership. However, many jobs will have been lost, some forever as we continue to recover. Now perhaps is a good time to review the GDP model, which has stuck with us since the 2nd World War largely following an outdated Adam Smith Economic model that continues to rape the earth of its resources. We believe a Transition Model for change exists in our design which is designed to link to our Community Impact App, for each person where they live. It is designed to leave no one out and incentivise everyone to come together to deliver a Love Your Neighbour, Love Your Community, Love Your Planet ethos. It is time to build a new Economy and promote Sustainable policies backed up by political decisions that should perhaps legally force delivery on that ethos.
9. What impact can green jobs have on the wider UK economy?
As highlighted earlier, research by WRAP shows us that if we divert 10,000 Tonnes of Waste to Reuse & Repair, we can expect 290 jobs. Therefore from our perspective, if we can operate more EEESafe Training Centres in HWRC’s, Housing and Reuse Centres to create more community accredited repairers, then not only will we see more local jobs, but large reductions in Waste, GHG’s whilst increased recognised skills in the communities of all the UK, greater social cohesion (contained in our LocalitEEE Community Marketplace Model), via the Appliance Safety Register), local funds raised and donated from EEESafe through our Social Charitable Model, reduction in Poverty, less debt, better Air Quality, stronger local business support, higher safety from potential accidents or unsafe repairs. The EEESafe Community Repairer Qualification which is ours, is an excellent pathway to Apprenticeships in Electrical, Mechanical Engineering and Plumbing and is itself deliverable in 3-6 months, in the correct setting. If we achieve Awarding Body Status to place our course on the Vocational Qualification Framework, then the courses could be open to Educational Grants via the Local Education Authorities. This would deliver a far better and smarter ROI on current budgets and help reduce the demand on the benefits system. Volunteering Rewards are linked in our model, and therefore the opportunity to shadow local repairers, can only enhance the ease of learning multiple Green Skill Sets at the lowest cost, due to their very local nature. All of which reduces environmental impacts and helps to grow thriving communities and strong cohesion where we live.
10. What contribution can green jobs make to the UK’s economic recovery from Covid-19?
On the whole, they can help meet, where evidence is procurable, the targets for net zero, climate change and environmental policies. If targets are met, they will support Government policy and reassure citizens that the correct policies were put in place. Our model is an example and you can see how using our Smart Model, metrics are captured from the Community Owned Marketplace we are building. We are advocating and offering a methodology of retain local spares, to provide local incomes and be part of the supply chain, in each local community. Lowering the costs of repair and capturing metrics will assist the UK to evidence how it is meeting targets set by COP26. Because of the Pandemic, there have been many jobs lost and as a nation we need to reskill many of the unemployed. This is an opportunity to help put money back into the communities where we live, and because we are a Charitable Social Business, our cash donations, automated from transactions and services in our Marketplace, will be offering local funds and currencies to help tackle poverty and reward volunteering where citizens live.
11. How can the UK ensure high emissions are not locked-in when tackling unemployment?
At best, where the UK Government invests in Jobs Growth and preventing unemployment, it should have independent monitoring, perhaps by an accountable committee across multiple professions. They should periodically review plans, before finance is committed and be part of the sign-off process, when committing public funds. These could be assessed against any available measurable independent calculations, such as provided by the Institute of Structural Engineers. Any business receiving grant or investment, should also submit sign-off using such a methodology in their own organisations, perhaps where turnover is in excess of an agreed threshold.
We would be happy to discuss our contributions in more details should that be of interest.
Robert Alexander
CEO EEESafe & LocalitEEE April 2021
