April News brief...
6TH EUROPEAN BIOPLASTICS
CONFERENCE European Bioplastics, the association of the bioplastics industry in Europe, has announced that the 6th European Bioplastics Conference will take place on 22 - 23 November 2011 at the Maritim proArte Hotel in Berlin.
NEW CHAIRMAN FOR FS PACKAGING ASSOCIATION
Neil Whittall of Huhtamaki (UK) Ltd has been appointed as the new chairman of the Foodservice Packaging Association (FPA). Speaking of his appointment as FPA Chairman, Neil said the following:“I’m delighted to take up the position of chairman of the FPA, as I’ve been actively involved with the organisation for a number of years.”
AWARD WIN FOR
CLOSED LOOP MD Chris Dow, Managing Director of Closed Loop Recycling, has been named as the winner of the Green King category in the inaugural Business Heroes Awards, celebrating shining examples of the UK’s most enterprising small businesses. “This is a fantastic vindication of both the dedication of the Closed Loop Recycling team and to the vision of our partners and investors,” comments Chris Dow. “I am thankful to all involved.”
BPF: CONTINUING OPTIMISM
British Plastics Federation (BPF) member firms signalled a buoyant start to the New Year in the Federation's latest Business Conditions Survey. The majority (64%) of the 80 respondents to the survey were confident of a growth in UK sales turnover over 2011.
Consumers lay waste to domestic packaging
Despite over 40 per cent of all household waste now being reused, recycled or composted, a survey has revealed that misconceptions around domestic
waste remain. The survey, conducted by food packaging manufacturer Sharpak, asked respondents to rank a list of domestic waste items in order of their perceived environmental impact. The results revealed that consumers placed food packaging trays in the top three ‘most harmful’ materials after cellophane and plastic carrier bags. However, according to Trefor Owen, environmental manager at
Sharpak, this is very much a misconception. “Food packaging trays are the least harmful of all the materials listed, as they incorporate post-consumer waste and are recyclable. What’s more they help to reduce food waste by preserving freshness and extending shelf life.” The results of our survey show the perception of carrier bags is also far from the reality. The fact is that many carrier bags can be returned to stores for recycling or used
Over 2,200 Print & Packaging businesses in financial distress
The growing impact of e- media, drastic cuts in public sector spending and intense international competition are causing increasing difficulties for the UK print and packaging industry.
T
he information comes from Begbies Traynor, the business recovery specialist, whose latest 'red flag' update has revealed that over 2,200 companies in the sector are already suffering from financial difficulties. Across both print and packaging, the number of companies experiencing ‘significant’ or ‘critical’ financial problems rose to 2,211 in Q4 2010, an increase
of 26% on the previous quarter’s figures (Q3 2010: 1,757). When looking at the year on year comparison, the number of companies experiencing financial distress also rose, increasing by 6% in Q4 2010, compared to 2,091 in the same quarter the previous year.
Across all sectors, Begbies
Traynor found the number of UK companies facing ‘significant’ or ‘critical’ financial problems has risen to almost 148,000, the first year on year increase for seven quarters, with those facing ‘critical’ problems alone now struggling with nearly £53 billion worth of liabilities. Following the market-wide
deterioration, the print and packaging sectors have followed the downward trend in Q4, suffering the third worst quarter-on- quarter deterioration of all sectors reported in today’s 'red flag' update. Nick Hood, partner at Begbies Traynor, said: "The print and packaging sector has seen the third worst quarter- on-quarter deterioration in the final quarter of 2010, with a 26% jump in the number of companies facing financial difficulties, exceeded only by the wholesale and IT sectors. The 2,211 businesses picked up by our 'red flag' alert early warning system in Q4 2010 may be just the tip of a far
4 Packaging Gazette
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