London (Parliament News) – DS Smith’s CEO urges UK election winner to enforce stricter plastic packaging rules and promote green consumption. The company has already replaced over 1 billion plastic pieces ahead of schedule.
Whoever succeeds in the UK general election must tighten rules to slash the use of plastic packaging, match global benchmarks and drive “green consumption”, the leader of one of the sector’s biggest manufacturers has recommended. Miles Roberts, the chief executive of the packaging firm DS Smith, made the call to the following government as the company celebrated reaching its target to replace more than 1bn pieces of plastic 16 months early.
How Does DS Smith Collaborate with International Corporations for Sustainability?
The FTSE 100 company operates with dozens of international firms, including Coca-Cola and Tesco, to come up with choices for plastic tubs, pots and boxes. DS Smith spoke clever design by its team of more than 700 professionals working in partnership with major food, drink and cleaning product makers has led to the lessening of 1.2bn pieces of plastic from its products, including 274m in the UK – which led the field.
What Role Do EU Regulations Play in Plastic Reduction Efforts?
Roberts stated EU regulations had been important in “really supporting the much greater benefit of material that’s recycled and recyclable”. He stated: “It is important to note that if our customers – the biggest [grocery] brands – are to remove plastics at scale and pace, they need the right regulatory framework around them. What we need are stronger, harmonised, global, regulations that level the playing field, to help businesses move away from plastic.
“If a new government wants more of a green economy, then recyclability is part of that. It is not enough to have a few windmills in the sea, not just green energy, but green consumption and clearing up our messes.”
What Innovations Has DS Smith Introduced to Reduce Plastic Usage?
DS Smith has cut down plastic by enabling companies to switch to cardboard-based punnets for fruit and vegetables and substituting plastic wrap around multi-bottle drink packs, for instance
However, Roberts stated more change was needed or the UK would fall after its neighbours, with recycling paces in England getting worse, not better.
He called for the resurrection of the UK intends to charge packaging users for the reprocessing of waste and to facilitate recycling by local authorities. There are presently more than 100 different systems employed by councils but consistently separating key reusable debris such as glass or cardboard would mean reprocessers would have a more dependable source of materials and invest in new plants.
“I would like to see a clearer regulatory framework if we are going to deal with these challenges,” Roberts stated. “Why not use systems that are already working in other countries?”
What Are the Implications of the UK Government’s Recycling Plans?
Earlier this month the UK government authorised plans to simplify and standardise recycling courses across England, echoing rules already in business in Scotland and Wales. It has held back from pushing local authorities to separately collect glass, metal, plastic, paper and card – as expected by many recycling businesses – expressing these can be collected in one “dry waste” box while food waste and garden waste must be managed separately.