25YEP (25-Year Environment Plan) was launched back in 2018. The government said it would refresh the plan every five years, which is a commitment set into law in the Environment Act 2021. The first refresh of this plan has recently been published, with, as expected, many updates, changes and developments.
Despite some misleading news – Ecodesign stoves are not being banned; they will however have tightening emission levels – more detail below.
25YEP set 10 goals:
1. Improving Nature
2. Clean Air
3. Clean and Plentiful water
4. Managing exposure to chemicals and pesticides
5. Maximise our resources, minimise our waste
6. Using resources from nature sustainably
7. Mitigating and adapting to climate change
8. Reduced risk of harm from environmental hazards
9. Enhancing biosecurity
10. Enhanced beauty, heritage, and engagement with the natural environment
There are a number of developments to this plan, which include:
1. Banning the supply of single-use plastics like plastic plates and cutlery from October 2023.
2. Introducing a deposit return scheme for plastic and metal drinks containers from October 2025 to drive higher recycling rates.
3. Grow a sustainable and long-term UK timber supply by investing in tree planting, skills, innovation and capacity and improving regulatory processes.
4. Make sure developments leave habitats in a better state for wildlife than before
Plus much more….
Since 2018 several plans have come to fruition, including:
1. Published a Clean Air Strategy in 2019 – which sets out plans for cleaner air we breathe. In this strategy, reference was made towards Ecodesign stoves and the fact only these clean stoves were to be sold by 2022 – which is now the case.
2 Reduced pollution from domestic burning by banning the sale of house coal and limiting the sale of wet wood – something we regularly talk about when advising on stove efficiency.
3. The introduction of clean air zones (CAZs) in cities across the UK.
What’s next?
While there are many plans and changes, the one most relevant to us as a business is the tighter limits that new stoves in Smoke Control Areas will need to meet by reducing the limit from 5g of smoke per hour to a maximum of 3g.
As an industry, we have often enjoyed being well-organised and well ahead of the game. For example, all our stoves were Ecodesign Ready several years before the 2022 deadline. Being ready and ready well in advance shows our ongoing commitment towards green, sustainable heating – which, time and again, Ecodesign stoves have proven to be. Due to the advanced combustion design of our fireboxes, reaching this 3g limit should be done with ease – and is something we welcome. More information on this will follow.
