BPF 2023 Parliamentary Reception

Kevin Hollinrake MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business) provides the key note speech.

Director General Philip Law conveyed a strong message to government at the BPF’s annual parliamentary reception, delivered in conjunction with Plastics Europe. In his speech to a room comprising MPs, their peers and senior members of the plastics industry, the message was clear: the UK must support its plastics industry if it is to remain a secure and stable nation. He stressed the vital role plastics play in military equipment, energy infrastructure, transport and healthcare, as well as helping to ensure the nation remains fed by protecting and preserving consumable products.

The event took place on 21 November 2023, hosted by Mark Pawsey MP, and was attended by 26 MPs and peers plus Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business Kevin Hollinrake MP, who was the keynote speaker at the event. In his speech, to a room of 140 people, the Minister highlighted that the BPF has a friend in the Department of Business and Trade and the Department’s door is always open to help businesses thrive.

See the photos from the event here.

BPF Director General Philip Law addresses the audience

Philip Law was then invited onto the stage and stated:

"Today the industry has a £25bn turnover and with 155,000 employees, is the third largest manufacturing sector by employment in the UK, and among the top 10 exporters. The bulk of the industry is in the ‘levelling-up regions’, and we have tremendous potential to help the UK as a source of high-quality employment, offering international careers."

He then explained that for the UK plastics industry to reach its potential, changes in mindset, policy and legislation were required. The trade association’s six main asks of the UK government were outlined, these were...

• Packaging Reforms: Accelerate the reform of the waste collection and packaging legislation (Extended Producer Responsibility, Deposit Return Scheme and Simpler Recycling) and maximise its effectiveness.
   
• Chemical Recycling: Accept mass balance as a calculation method for the Plastic Packaging Tax (with a fuel exempt allocation method), to permit the scaling up of chemical recycling in the UK.
   
• Recycling Infrastructure: Enable the expansion and improvement of plastic recycling infrastructure by investing funds raised by the Plastic Packaging Tax.
   
• Skills: Additional support for businesses to replace lost expertise and a further review of the effectiveness of the apprenticeship levy for manufacturers.
   
• Trade: Work to minimise trade barriers and encourage regulatory alignment with the EU (where it makes sense); redevelop the overseas trade show support programme.
   
• Energy: More grants for the deployment of energy efficient machines to assist industry’s decarbonisation, productivity and competitiveness.

As is tradition at the BPF/PlasticsEurope Parlaimentary Receptions a document was circulated to all in attendence on the key policy requests, the document can be seen below...

 

 

 

Philip Law then introduced Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business Kevin Hollinrake MP, who stressed he understood the challenges businesses faced, as he had spent a large part of their career in business and that the Government were listening to businesses and were commited to getting policies right.

Philip Law responded by stating...

"It is, generally, in the UK, a time of pulling together, and I do hope that today’s event is symbolic of that – and the plastic industry and parliamentarians can come into closer correspondence as a result."

 

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