Industry efforts help contain UK packaging use
INCPEN, the Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment, said data released by the European Commission showed packing totals per capita in the UK were 176kg/ per person (PP) in 2007, compared to 175kg/pp in 1998.
It hailed the results as “impressive” and declared they were proof that industry initiatives to cut back packaging had paid dividends.
Impressive
The UK’s performance compared favourably with the EU-15 as a whole, where average per capita packaging consumption had risen from 169kg/pp to 189kg/pp over the period, said the body.
The figures are more striking as, during the period, the UK’s population increased 3 per cent and the favourable economic climate saw a consumer boom. Despite this, the amount of packaging rose by just 4.9 per cent from 10.2m tones to 10.7m tonnes, said an INCPEN statement. Packaging quantities were stable, recycling rates doubled, landfill greatly reduced, it added.
The amount of packaging used in EU-15 as a whole increased by 17% from 63m tonnes to 74m tonnes.
Industry efforts
“These figures show clearly that the efforts of manufacturers and retailers to reduce packaging over the last decade have worked”, said INCPEN Director, Jane Bickerstaffe.
She added: “They show that our Packaging Regulations have delivered an impressive recycling rate that is now above the average for the EU-15. It’s also thanks to local authorities increasing their collection schemes for all recyclates and to householders for supporting their local schemes.”
Recycling rates in the UK soared from 28 per cent to 62 per cent during the review period, according to the EC’s official packaging and recycling statistics for 2007. Belgium topped the EU-15 recycling league with 80 per cent, while Germany, Austria, Norway and the Czech Republic all exceeded the 75 per cent mark.
But the body questioned Germany’s recycling strategy saying its “falling recycling rates suggest that setting very high recycling targets is not sustainable”.
INCPEN was set up in 1974 to evaluate the environmental and social impact of packaging. Its members include major industry players such as Amcor Flexibles, Britvic, Cadbury, Coca-Cola GB Kellogg, Rexam and Linpac.
