UK Plastics Pact celebrates 40% cut in “unnecessary” plastic packaging and 50% recycling rates

14 Dec 2020 --- Plastic packaging classified as unnecessary by WRAP has been reduced by 40 percent in the UK, according to the second annual report from the UK Plastics Pact.

In 2019, the pact’s 81 members increased recycling to 50 percent of all plastic packaging in the UK, equivalent to 107,000 metric tons. 

The UK government is hailing the achievements as a major step toward environmental sustainability in the UK and using the findings to push its 2022 plastics tax.

The pact has four key goals, which it aims to realize by 2025. 

1. Eliminate all unnecessary plastic packaging in the UK. 
2. Make 100 percent of plastic packaging recyclable or reusable. 
3. Make 70 percent of all packaging recycled or composted. 
4. Achieve a 30 percent average recycled content across all packaging. 

WRAP’s latest report announces success in all these target areas and calls for continued efforts going forward. 

Target one: Eliminating unnecessary packaging
The report states that over 400 million “problematic and unnecessary items” were sold by pact members in 2019. Items include plastic cutlery, cotton buds and straws. 

Most pact members are on track to eliminate six of the eight items and materials classified as “problematic and unnecessary,” notably polystyrene (PS), by the end of this year. WRAP is crediting pact members for taking significant strides toward the 2025 goals.

An estimated 16,000 tons of PS was sold in 2019, meaning a 30 percent reduction on 2018 levels. 

PS remains an issue. WRAP credits the efforts of members who have made steps to proactively remove PS, such as Danone, which invested in new technologies to produce yogurt pots from PET or PP.

While the amount of PVC has more than halved over this period, it was clear in some applications it would not be possible to remove the material, the report says. 

Overall, members reporting in 2018 and 2019 show a 6 percent reduction in plastic packaging placed on the market. 

Actions taken by members to address unnecessary packaging include a joint initiative by Heinz and Tesco, which removed shrink film from multi-packs of tinned foods. PepsiCo also reduced excess headspace in multi-packs of several leading brands of crisps. 

Target two: Making packaging recyclable
Today, 64 percent of plastic packaging placed on the market by pact members is recyclable, says the report.

The UK charity is urging pact members across the value chain to significantly improve this by ensuring flexible plastic packaging becomes more widely recyclable. 

Several brands and supermarkets are making inroads to reusables and refill, including Asda, which collaborated with Unilever’s Persil, PG Tips and Radox to launch a pilot sustainability store in 2020. 

Many members have removed non-recyclable black plastic, including Quorn. Iconic designs have been altered to improve recyclability, such as Suntory Beverage and Food GB&I brand Ribena.

Target three: Increased recycled packaging 
The amount of plastic packaging being recycled increased from 44 percent in 2018 to 50 percent in 2019. 

This equates to an additional 107,000 tons no longer being burned or buried. The government is celebrating the achievements and looking toward its 2022 plastics tax.

The number of local authorities collecting plastic pots, tubs and trays increased from 79 percent in 2018 to 84 percent in 2019 across the UK.

More consumers are also recycling, with WRAP’s citizen research showing 87 percent of UK households recycle regularly.

The report gives credit to several industry players, including Coca-Cola, for creating space on bottle labels to communicate recycling messages. 

Morrisons was also credited for its front-of-pack recycling messaging across many product ranges to inform and encourage customers to bring PE film back to store for recycling.

There have also been important investments in the recycling sector by pact members, the report says. Jayplas invested in a plastic film recycling plant with 100,000 metric tons of capacity. 

In collaboration with Charpak and Unilever, Veolia will develop the UK’s first dual PET bottle and tray recycling facility.

Target 4: Average recycled content 
Average recycled content is now 13 percent, says the report, compared to nine percent in 2018. 

This equates to 700,000 barrels of virgin oil and 66,000 tons of CO2 in 2019. 

Member actions include Coca-Cola’s transition to 50 percent recycled PET (rPET) bottles across its core brands. 

Waitrose also launched new packaging for its “treat tubs” made from 90 percent recycled material, and Unilever’s new Magnum tubs and lids for its pints range are now made with recycled polypropylene (rPP).

Government urges further action
The UK’s minister for environment Rebecca Pow is celebrating the report’s findings and using the announcement to promote the UK’s new environment bill. 

“We must continue to go further and faster to tackle unnecessary plastic, and that’s why we have recently banned the supply of plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds and confirmed the extension of the single-use carrier bag charge to all retailers, which has already cut sales by 95 percent in the main supermarkets.”

“Our landmark Environment Bill will also give us powers to introduce deposit return schemes for drinks containers and extended producer responsibility for packaging. From 2022, we will also introduce a world-leading tax on plastic packaging which doesn’t meet a minimum threshold of at least 30 percent recycled content.”

Edited

By Louis Gore-Langton