UK foodservice sector seeks standardized packaging circularity from new Labour government

12 Jul 2024 --- The Foodservice Packaging Association (FPA) calls on the newly elected UK government to install standardized packaging circularity across the UK. Given that the Labour Party now holds the majority of seats in Wales and England, the FPA hopes policy misalignment across those two nations will be prevented.

However, the FPA’s executive director, Martin Kersh, tells Packaging Insights he is worried that Scotland’s packaging legislation may soon be out of sync with the rest of the UK, since the election of the next Scottish Government is still two years away and the ministerial powers are already granted under Scotland’s Circular Economy Bill.

“The alignment of environmental policies is crucial for trading harmony across the UK, and we are optimistic about the prime minister’s clear commitment to engage with the heads of the devolved nations,” he says.

Strong UK for plastic treaty 
The new Labour government led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer was elected last week. That prompted the UK packaging industry to call for investments and legislative support for material circularity.

Rudy Schulkind, political campaigner at Greenpeace UK, tells Packaging Insights that the Conservative party had “caved to industry pressure” and failed to support measures to cut plastic production in the Global Plastics Treaty. 

The Labour government is expected to play a crucial role for establishing a strong Global Plastics Treaty.“The British public is overwhelmingly in favor of strong policies on plastics and the treaty and was rightly horrified.”

“Like them, we call on the Labour government to turn the tide on plastics in the UK and globally. 2024 is genuinely a once-in-a-generation opportunity, with UN negotiations on a Global Plastics Treaty set to conclude this year,” says Schulkind.

He wants the Labour government to demonstrate “leadership and ambition,” by banning waste exports and new incinerators, while delivering a deposit return scheme and extended producer responsibility in the UK.

Considering consumer costs 
Kersh believes that Steve Reed’s appointment as Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) reflects his previous shadow position and promises a “much-needed” continuity amid frequent changes within Defra, which has had ten secretaries of state over the past decade.

“We are pleased to see the prime minister maintaining stability in Defra’s leadership and we are hopeful he will have the tenure needed to effectively implement the much-anticipated packaging and waste reforms into legislation.”

“The FPA looks forward to the development of Defra as an environmentally responsible department that rejects punitive measures on foodservice packaging products and takes time to consider their wider purpose — at the same time examining the other issues that have a greater environmental impact than packaging,” he adds. 

Kersh says it is a shared understanding that, while it may be straightforward to impose additional costs on businesses, such implications are likely to affect consumers as costs are passed down the line. 

The FPA trusts the new minister will consider the broader impact of such financial strategies on both businesses and consumers. 

“We’re hopeful the new government will take the opportunity to hear of some unintended consequences of the new waste legislation that will get in the way of their other ambitions,” he says.

By Natalie Schwertheim