Industry climate change body Wrap has warned delays to the rollout of extended producer responsibility will “inevitably” put back the industry’s war on plastic, after a report by MPs slammed the industry’s efforts as “unambitious”.
A report from the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Committee, published earlier this week, claimed progress from supermarkets and suppliers had been too slow and hindered by ambiguous targets and a lack of transparency.
However, Wrap defended the industry’s moves under the Plastics Pact, which it launched in 2018, saying it had set “ambitious and stretching” targets to tackle plastic packaging and climate change.
“Progress against all targets is mixed due to marketplace and regulatory barriers,” said Wrap director of collaboration and change Catherine David.
“We’re making good progress in the removal of problematic plastics and increasing recycled content, but recycling of plastic film continues to be a major challenge. Delays to the implementation of EPR and consistent collections will inevitably delay the recycling of plastic film at scale.”
Wrap’s warning follows calls from the BRC and FDF for the government to delay the rollout of EPR for at least a year to enable supermarkets and suppliers to concentrate on fighting the cost of living crisis.
However, Efra’s report has called for the government to introduce tougher measures, including a complete ban on the export of plastic waste from the UK by 2027 and an increase to the plastic tax that came in this year to make it more of a deterrent to single-use plastic.
Meanwhile, Sian Sutherland, co-founder of campaign group A Plastic Planet, slammed the Plastics Pact’s target of eliminating all “avoidable” plastic by 2042 and said instead of pausing action the government needed to get tougher on the industry.
She said: “I don’t think even Ronaldo can kick a can that far down the road. Current initiatives are not effective. A Greenpeace USA report goes even further, telling us that big business signatories of the Plastics Pact with EMF have not only failed but have gone back to the dark ages of 2018, increasing the amount of plastic they are using.
“Nothing will change this now but money and law. It needs to hurt big business and take them into exponential areas of corporate risk if they continue to do nothing to stop the scourge of plastic. Only then will they invest properly in the essential material and system change we all crave.”
However, BRC sustainability policy advisor Nadiya Catel-Arutyunova said the government’s lack of a proper framework for recycling was to blame for slow progress.
“The unfortunate reality is that the UK does not have sufficient capacity to recycle all of its own waste,” she said. “We need a framework that will enable more investment in this recycling infrastructure, and will co-ordinate waste and recycling policies across the UK.
“If done right, a reformed packaging EPR could help improve recycling rates across the country.”
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