Philip Law, Director-General of the BPF, tells BP&R about the Federation’s latest activities, including its response to the ‘Big Plastics Count’, and plans for K Show later this year.
Philip Law
A very encouraging development was the publication recently of a study carried out by McKinsey and Company, ‘Climate Impact of Plastics’. McKinsey studied a range of plastics applications in packaging, building/construction, consumer goods, automotive and textiles, comparing them with alternatives. The key point was that in 13 of the 14 applications analysed, plastics had a lower Greenhouse Gas (GHG) contribution than the competition. The analysis covered the entire life cycle, from raw material acquisition to end-of-life, including value chain impacts like food spoilage and packaging breakage. Although based on the situation in the USA, the authors performed sensitivity analyses to extend the GHG assessment to other regions such as Western Europe and China. Among the specific plastics products registering superior performance were grocery bags; wet food packaging; soft drink containers; fresh meat packaging; soap containers; municipal sewer pipes; residential water pipes; insulation; furniture; hybrid fuel tanks; BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) battery top enclosures; carpets; and t-shirts. This is certainly a third party study we can use in discussions with government and customer industries.
BPF issued a robust statement in response to the ‘Big Plastics Count’ emphasising that we believe in using packaging only when it is necessary and that we support the growth of reuse systems. Considerable change and innovation is underway in the plastics industry and work is ongoing to scale up technologies and collection systems so that almost all the plastic commonly used for packaging can be recycled. However, promoting a message that ‘recycling doesn’t work’ is unhelpful and could demotivate people from doing the right thing. Last year 51% of plastic packaging in the UK was recycled and the amount of plastic recycled has increased 2.4 times since 2006. In 2021 the UK recycled more of its plastic within the country than it exported for recycling – actually the first time this has happened. Simply substituting plastic packaging with other materials may not be the best for the environment, as stated in a 2020 study by Imperial College London.
Turning to the commercial world, the K Fair is soon upon us. Leading the British Pavilion in Dusseldorf is part of the BPF’s heritage and we have been exhibiting there since the 1950s. A valuable addition to our stand will be the incorporation of a dedicated space for UK visitors to hold meetings free of charge. This will be supported by the UK Department for International Trade (DIT). This British Visitors Networking Area is in Hall 5, stand number 5A28. On the first day of the exhibition, October 19th, a drinks reception will be held there between 4.30 pm and 6.00 pm. British visitors who wish to pre-book space for a meeting within the UK Visitors Networking Area can e-mail Justyna Elliott at JElliott@bpf.co.uk. Alternatively, UK visitors can come and use the space without booking, subject to availability. The BPF’s view is that it’s crucial for UK firms to establish a strong export footing post-Brexit, and we are supporting our stand with promotional initiatives such as our newly published BPF Industry Directory and several sustainability initiatives that demonstrate the industry’s role as a thought leader. For more details about the British Pavilion at K 2022, visit www.bpfevents.co.uk.