BPF holding free webinar on benefits of climate change agreement

BPF is holding a free webinar explaining how plastics companies can benefit from a climate change agreement, The Climate Change Agreement (CCA) scheme opened for new applications in May. Eligible plastics manufacturers can benefit from the scheme by getting a discount of up to 92% on their Climate Change Levy (CCL), which is a part of their energy bill.

To increase awareness of the scheme, explain the potential benefits, savings, eligibility criteria and application process, the British Plastics Federation (BPF) is hosting a webinar – open to all – on 15 June at 12pm. The webinar will feature BPF Energy Technical Director Peter Haslop and CCA Administration Manager Yolanda Starkie, who will explain how to maximise the likelihood of a successful application, as well as being available to answer questions, which can also be submitted in advance. 

The CCA scheme is provided by the UK government and BPF Energy administers it on behalf of the UK plastics industry. Now open for applications, the scheme closes on 30th September but companies are advised to begin their applications well in advance of this date. Facilities that submit a successful application will be eligible to claim the reduced rates of CCL from 1 January 2024 (or from the date the agreement is activated). Those that take part in the scheme will become a ‘partner’ within BPF Energy Ltd, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the BPF. BPF Energy was formed to administer the CCA scheme, which is open to both members and non-members of the trade association.

BPF Energy Technical Director Peter Haslop states:

Plastics sector CCA schemes have been responsible for saving thousands of tonnes of CO2 emissions and millions of pounds on energy bills. An average site without a CCA in place could be paying a levy equating to hundreds of thousands of pounds annually, so there are huge savings to be made.

As a general rule, If your energy invoices have line items marked CCL (Climate Change Levy) and the combined charges are greater than £750/month before any discount you will benefit from a CCA. We will be discussing eligibility criteria during this webinar but, roughly speaking, any plastics processor of semi-finished or finished products should consider applying, as should any plastics recycler that turns flaked plastic into polymer beads onsite.