Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Amendment No. 9 seeks to include transport, including aviation and shipping, in the sectors listed as sectors which shall be included in the circular economy strategy. According to the SEAI, transport is by far the largest source of energy-related CO₂emissions in Ireland. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2019, it was responsible for over 40% of energy-related CO₂emissions. The Minister of State will be aware that transport is a sector which has emissions reduction targets. Unfortunately, the carbon budget excluded emissions resulting from aviation and shipping. We also know that the State has been a bad actor in respect of transport emissions, namely from the subsidisation of fossil fuels used in the sector. The Government provided €2.4 billion in fossil fuel subsidies in 2019. The largest subsidy is the excise duty exemption for jet kerosene used for domestic and international commercial aviation. The revenue forgone from this measure in 2019 was €634 million. Again, this legislation needs to be broader and needs to take full account of economic activity as it happens within our planetary boundaries.

Amendment No. 10 seeks the deletion of section 7(6) and its replacement with a stronger provision for green public procurement. As the Minister of State will no doubt be aware, my colleague, Senator Higgins, has a passion for public procurement and has introduced her own legislation on the issue. In its pre-legislative scrutiny report on this Bill, the climate committee recommended, in recommendation No. 13, that explicit authority be taken in the Bill for evolving and promoting the uptake of sound principles in respect of design, procurement, packaging, logistics, retail, repairability, etc. Its recommendation No. 58 was that green public procurement be placed on a statutory footing and that specific provisions reflecting the importance of green public procurement and circular public procurement be included in this Bill and other related legislation. This is an area of great importance, given that we spent €12 billion on public contracts for goods, services and works in 2019. I believe that the OGP and the EPA have published guidelines on green public procurement, but those need to put on a statutory basis. We need to place quality and, in the context of the circular economy, environmental quality criteria at the heart of the public procurement process.

Amendment No. 11 relates to the right to repair. This amendment would insert the words "and availability" into the provision that targets within the circular economy strategy should result in increased levels of repair and reuse of products and materials. This is a relatively simple amendment and relates to the issue of just transition.

Amendment No. 12 proposes to insert a requirement that the circular economy strategy set out actions necessary to further just transition and climate justice in the context of the development of a circular economy. We have discussed the broader issues already but, specifically, this would require the strategy to take account of two of the most important principles when it comes to climate action. I have discussed the need for an equitable transition which addresses poverty instead of compounding it. It is based on a social dialogue and the need to ensure all our policies reflect our common but differentiating responsibilities in line with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Amendment No. 69 touches on a different but related issue, fast fashion. We know that, for so many people, clothing which is not produced sustainably is their only option because it is inexpensive. We also know, however, that the industry itself is a big polluter and, in the context of climate justice, has a hugely negative impact on indigenous fashion industries in countries in the global south. Recently, award-winning journalist Sally Hayden reported in The Irish Times:

In Ghana, second-hand garments that arrive from Europe and North America are known as "obroni wawu" – or "dead white man's clothes". Each week around 15 million of them find their way to Accra, the West African country's capital. About 40 per cent of what arrives is clearly waste, according to local activists, who say the African continent is being left to deal with the devastating effects of the West's overconsumption and the rise in fast fashion.

I urge the Minister of State to accept this amendment as it tries to refocus our work on the circular economy to the global dimension and would look to an industry that is a big polluter and whose practices go against the very idea of a circular economy.