Irish Nutrient Sustainability Platform (INSP)
A central tenet of the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development is to achieve societal sustainability by promoting economic growth, while protecting the environment and preserving all natural resources. At an all-island level, the agri-food sector is integral to Ireland’s economy: intensification of this industry, in line with current national policies such as Food Harvest 2020 (Ireland) and Going for Growth (Northern Ireland), is essential for increased Irish economic prosperity. Yet a major challenge for this sector, both locally and globally, is to address Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets whilst sustaining agricultural output to help feed a growing global population. A transition towards sustainable primary production and processing systems that can produce more food - and other bio-based products - whilst meeting those UN SDG targets that mandate fewer inputs, less environmental impact, waste recycling and reduced greenhouse gas emissions is thus an imperative. To this end the Environmental Protection Agency of Ireland grant funded the establishment of a stakeholder-led “Irish Nutrient Sustainability Platform (INSP)” to promote sustainable nutrient management across the Island of Ireland, under the auspices the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Key Outcomes
Through a series of consultations, stakeholders ratified the need for a forum to: i) Promote UN Sustainable Development Goals and targets with respect to nutrient waste reduction, more efficient nutrient management, recycling, knowledge interchange and eco-technology development; ii) Enable creation and development of new business opportunities, value chains and income streams in the context of waste valorisation and reuse of scarce natural resources alongside environmental protection; iii) Provide a ‘safe-space’ for stakeholders to interact with regulators to discuss policy, challenges, solutions and technological innovations; and iv) Facilitate Access to an established network of national and international technology providers, cognate sustainability initiatives, governmental bodies, EU agencies, and Universities and their cognate Research Centres of Excellence.
In collaboration with prospective members, a business and operational plan alongside documentation pertaining to membership agreements and platform structure have been developed. These have been further benchmarked against cognate sustainability initiatives in operation across the EU and globally e.g. the European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform, the German Phosphorus Platform, Dutch Nutrient Platform, Italian Phosphorus Platform and the United States Sustainable Phosphorus Alliance.
An all-island Irish Nutrient Sustainability Platform has been established to engage the public and private sectors in the development and implementation of nutrient (and co-recoverable resource) management. Through memberships fees and additional grant based income the Irish Nutrient Sustainability Platform will remain viable beyond the EPA funding period.
Ireland should consider developing a more integrated reporting tool to capture all work being undertaken across the island with respect to SDGs. Such a database would ensure better integration and promotion of SDG compliance: As an exemplar a database relating to nutrient management projects funded across all funding bodies on the island had been created by the Platform.
Ireland should consider mandating all companies where nutrients are either generated, used or recycled to be affiliated with the Irish Nutrient Sustainability Platform. Consideration should also be given to providing a government subsidy to secure the Platform’s long term operation: Cognate Platforms across the EU receive such central funding cf. the Italian Phosphorus Platform
Ireland should consider setting a target (both in terms of % reduction and date) by which nutrient imports are reduced. Importation should be reduced through development and implementation of nutrient recycling technologies and new value chains across both the wastewater and agri-food industries.
Further investment in both the research and application of biorefinery processes is required to deliver ‘value-added products’ from waste: for example, the removal and recovery of nitrogen and phosphorus alongside the valorisation of biogas (carbon dioxide and methane), volatile fatty acids (VFAs), bioplastics etc. This is particularly relevant in the context of circular- and bio-economy policy at both national and global level especially given the keystone role SDGs will play in shaping national and international policy.
