British Plastics Federation issues response to latest instalment of BBC’s ‘War on Plastic’ series

The British Plastics Federation (BPF) has issued a statement in response to the latest instalment of the BBC’s ‘War on Plastic’ series.

The association says that although it supports the programme’s ambitions to highlight the importance of considering everyday decisions for the benefit of the environment, it is calling for a balanced argument, particularly where plastics are enablers for good.

“Leaving the environment in a better state for future generations is extremely important and programmes like ‘War on Plastic’ are rightly encouraging people to think about how everyday decisions can make a difference,” the statement reads.

“However, calling a programme ‘War on Plastic’ does not suggest a balanced evaluation of a complex situation and seems to suggest that the material should be condemned in all applications. In fact, plastic is an enabling technology that is vital to almost every major industry. As we have stated before: the enemy is not plastic, the enemy is plastic waste.”

The BPF points out that “the unnecessary use of any material is wasteful” and all materials have an environmental impact.

It says that “the programme did not explain why plastic was used in the first place within a number of packaging applications”, highlighting that the raw materials for glass and metals need to be mined and trees need to be grown to produce paper bags and paperboard.

The statement also explained the importance of plastics packaging in managing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as preventing food waste.  It also highlighted the work it has been doing on the recyclability of packaging, particularly around the principles of ecodesign.

Where the programme suggested that there had been an increase in the use of single-use plastic packaging, the BPF points out in its response that “in the past two years the actual tonnage per capita of plastic packaging placed on the market has fallen by four per cent.”

It continued: “A forecast done by the industry, key stakeholders and compliance companies expects per person use for all plastic packaging to fall further in 2020, possibly falling as much as nine per cent in comparison to 2019. This reflects a complex picture, where consumer behaviour is changing, and numerous industries have experienced a significant fall in demand for their services and products.”

Concluding, the BPF pointed out that  regards to Covid-19 and the increased production and use of PPE, that face masks do not need to be made of plastic but those used in hospital and healthcare settings do, as they provide the greatest level of protection.

“The BPF encourages people to use reusable facemasks wherever possible and when plastic face masks are used, to dispose of them properly so that they do not end up in the environment,” the statement concludes.