The UK’s new coalition Government has come under fire over the potential impact of funding cuts to the waste and packaging industries. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Government department that funds WRAP, will be forced to cut £162m from its budget under Chancellor George Osborne’s £6.2bln savings plan, while, at the same time, recycling targets are set to rise. Gary Price asks key representatives from the sector how they think the cuts will affect industry and what they wish the new Government to achieve.

Jane Bickerstaffe, The Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment -

‘The Government’s plans to significantly raise the UK’s packaging recycling targets over the next 10 years could jeopardise the quality of recyclate collected and is not necessarily the most sustainable option.

‘Targets include a goal to recycle or recover 72% of packaging waste by 2020, requiring obligated businesses to pay towards the recycling or recovery of 84% of material to cover smaller businesses that are exempt. The proposed material-specific targets for plastics [which rise from 23% in 2011 to 57% by 2020] are a particular concern. These targets are daft. For plastics it will mean going beyondbottles, looking at yoghurt pots and low-grade films, which will exacerbate the quality problem.

‘The new Government needs to look at the wider picture and appreciate that more recycling, as an industrial process, is not always the answer. Quality should be the top priority. We would like to see better data on the amount and composition of waste from commercial, industrial and household waste. Clearer direction for local government about what materials they should collect for recycling and guidance on how those materials should be collected with a view to increasing the quality of recyclate, as well as the quantity, is needed.’

Nick Mullen, Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association –
‘Packaging is a highly efficient sector, which Government policies consistently undermine, and investment is moving out of the country – we need to see solidly supported targets to maintain a UK base for manufacturing and production. The new Government will need to fast track new energy provisions from nuclear, clean coal, renewables and energy-from-waste, and treble gas storage to meet the packaging sector’s demand and make the UK more attractive to investors.’

David Read, Chairman of the Packaging and Films Association –
‘Only by proactively supporting a “single-voice” can individual businesses secure a fair trading environment for the future, particularly at a time when global economic and environmental pressures are playing an increasingly significant part in determining the future direction of our industry. I am determined to continue to fly the flag for the flexible packaging sector and ensure that its role in the protection and preservation of goods is better understood by the new Government and by consumers who benefit from it.’

Dave Dalton, CEO of the British Glass Manufacturers’ Confederation –
‘It is critical that the Government appropriately determines the need for “correct packaging” as packing is too often overly maligned as being unnecessary, whereas in reality “appropriate packaging” preserves the functional life of the food and beverages it contains, reducing the quantity of food waste, which is the real problem.

‘All industries require investment and R&D is fundamental to progress. We have seen great strides in quality of materials, light-weighting, improved fitness for purpose, extended functionality and much more. The industry needs to continue these strides in order to maintain a place at the table. Priorities need to have a strong environmental focus combining aesthetics with functionality and fitness for purpose with desirability. We are living in a different world today, with different perspectives on what is truly important. Packaging needs to properly align with this.’