The first session of the day – “Understanding the Big Picture: Challenges and Opportunities” – was chaired by head of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme administrator Margaret Bates, who kicked off by asking: “What would need to be true to make the UK plastic industry globally competitive from an investment prospect?”
Revisiting the question at the start of the Q&A session, several of the panellists referred to the need to level the playing field between the UK, the EU and the global market. A key example was given in the form of caps tethered to plastic bottles. While there is no legal requirement for this in the UK as there is in the EU, the attached caps are still prolific in the UK. Panellists emphasised that what happens in the EU – for example the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulations (PPWR) – still have a significant effect on the UK plastic industry.
This was reflected in later discussions about the changes to mandatory labelling for EPR. It has been confirmed that Defra has removed the mandatory labelling requirements from the EPR statutory instrument in a bid to ensure future cross-Europe labelling.
Prior to this, the five panellists spoke for five minutes each on their respective takes on the challenges and opportunities facing the UK plastics industry. The audience heard from Robbie Staniforth (Ecosurety), Ermis Panagiotopoulos (Indorama Ventures PCL), Stuart Hayward-Higham (Suez), James Bull (Tesco), Kinza Sutton (Plastipak) and Stuart Murray (Zero Waste Scotland).
A theme several of the panellists mentioned surrounded the need to change consumer perspectives around reuse and single-use. Bull highlighted that it’s a big shift to make, with a need to rely on innovation to make that journey easier. Murray added that there is proof it can be done – with reference to consumer habits around electric vehicles.
Sutton emphasised the pressing need to start talking about carbon and human rights issues in the sector. She labelled discussions around recycling and current legislation changes “short-term thinking”.
Notably, both Sutton and Bull agreed that there are definitely cases of fraud when it comes to declarations of recycled content – with a lot of this potentially linked to import issues such as differing laws and language barriers. Bull said: “There are many cases where you look at claims of 30% recycled content and think that is not physically possible”.
Inside the Plastic Debate: Rethinking the 4 R’s
Session two – “Inside the Plastic Debate: Rethinking the 4 R’s” – featured brief presentations from Tony Breton (Novamont), Gavin Ellis (Hubbub), Kris Renwick (Reckitt), Geoff Brighty (Mura Technology), Nikki DiGiovanni (Remo) and Andrew Mullen (Beko). 
Each speaker focused on ways in which their respective companies are promoting consumer awareness of the waste hierarchy and how they are integrating it into their own business models – particular reuse and recovery.
They then joined chair Helen Bird (WRAP), who had previously given an update on the UK Plastics Pact, to answer audience questions regarding the four Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Recover).
A poll at the beginning of the session revealed that 51% of the audience believed the sector does not have enough focus on recovery and reuse.
The Future is Now
The final session of the day – “The Future is Now” – featured a sample of people representing producers, local authorities, technological solution companies and government.
As the panel looked to the future, the deposit return scheme (DRS) and EPR featured heavily. There was also, once again, a heavy focus on reuse and refill.
Several of the panellists emphasised the need to understand purchasing drivers and make reuse and refill options exciting for the consumer.
Alex Hilton (Defra) stressed the requirement within the EPR statutory instrument to launch public information campaigns to ensure the consumer is informed about the effects of the incoming legislation.
During the Q&A session, panellists were asked by chair David Greenfield (CIWM) whether they picture biodegradable plastics (bioplastics) as part of the future of the plastic industry. Ian Smith (Machinex) and Jess Ainley (Danone) both said it is not currently part of the discussions their companies are having.
Hilton added that it is important for the whole value chain to be considered when innovating – particularly the side of collection.
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