BPF warns reduced oil prices are threat to recyclers in UK

The British Plastics Federation (BPF) has expressed its concern at the impact of reduced oil prices in the UK Plastics Recycling Industry.

It says areas of plastics recycling are becoming uncompetitive and this is threatening not only the viability of businesses but also, potentially, the recycling record of the whole supply chain.

The BPF is calling on companies in the downstream supply chain, when considering their materials selection policies, to keep to the fore the fact that high recycling targets have to be met under the Packaging Waste (Producer Responsibility) Regulations and that many individual Corporate Social Responsibility programmes support increased recycling levels.

BPF Director-General Philip Law said; ‘That the carbon saving and resource efficiency benefits of plastic products has been enhanced by the increased levels of plastics recycling seen today. Plastics recycling is an essential component of the whole chain's sustainability message and we should not allow our record to regress.”