On the 16th of October 2024, Mukhtar Babayev, COP29 President-Designate released a letter outlining the initiatives and pledges that will be led by the COP29 Presidency. Read the full Agenda here. The pledges will serve as key guiding points for discussions at COP29, shaping the agenda by directing conversations toward practical solutions in areas like clean energy, climate finance, methane reduction, and resource management.

That is why the REA Organics team is particularly pleased to see the COP29 Presidency recognise the importance of the waste and resources sector. The ‘Methane Reduction from Organic Waste’ pledge  focuses on the urgent need to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy and improve resource efficiency as a critical part of global climate action. The declaration emphasises several key principles and commitments aimed at fostering sustainable resource management, enhancing waste reduction, and promoting the responsible use of materials.

The declaration encourages:

• • setting specific quantified national targets and/or measurable actions, plans, roadmaps, and policies for reducing methane in waste and food systems;
  • developing and implementing national (and/or subnational) policies, roadmaps, and action plans in the waste sector, recognising that household waste management is a core function of cities, and considering the role of private sector waste management companies;
  • stepping up finance, identifying bankable projects, supporting feasibility studies and business plans to scale up innovative technologies and practices that reduce emissions from the waste sector, improve collection and transportation systems, and increase infrastructure development;
  • utilising observation-based techniques to identify key opportunities for mitigation and to support broader transparency efforts through data;
  • collaboration among governments, businesses, and civil society to achieve circular economy objectives;
  • integration of circular economy principles into national policies and strategies;
  • calls for increased investment in 
  • and increased assistance to developing countries for improving existing waste management infrastructure and increasing capacity to align with circular economy and resource efficiency practices.

The declaration emphasises the importance of the waste hierarchy, including composting and other treatments of organic waste, in addressing and reversing the current state of waste production across the World.  It states:

 ‘strategies to prevent, reduce and reuse organic waste, whether by making use of it as a resource material, composting it to enrich soils as fertiliser, or using it to produce bioenergy offer numerous economic and environmental benefits. These strategies serve as climate solutions while also contributing to enhancing food security and energy access, promoting bioeconomy, avoiding open burning and related air pollution, creating local jobs, improving living standards and reducing costs for cities while contributing to more sustainable urban development’

This declaration reinforces the UK’s commitment to reducing waste, enhancing resource efficiency, and advancing towards a fully circular economy. The focus on innovation and technology presents a valuable opportunity to attract investment in the waste management sector, driving the development of more efficient recycling facilities and advanced waste processing technologies. These advancements will help create new job opportunities across the UK’s waste and resources sector. We hope the UK Government will take a leading role in global discussions on circular economy principles at COP29 and return with ambitious, forward-thinking solutions.

If you have questions about REA’s involvement with COP29 or how you can support this work, please contact us.