Pulp Paper & Logistics
OPINION 11
emissions in production and transport (due to the extra weight of material), and, more often than not, an increase in food waste because other materials don’t perform as well as plastic. Another technical barrier is that
there is currently a significant shortfall in UK reprocessing infrastructure. Not all plastic packaging is currently collected for recycling, even though the technology exists for this to happen. For example, most local councils do not collect consumer plastic films and the BPF has highlighted that there are currently no recycling facilities that can recycle polyolefin films back into food contact approved applications.
One size does not fit all I have indicated that inclusion of recycled content affects the physical properties of the material. This is particularly the case with thin films, which are already incredibly resource efficient, and where it is more challenging to incorporate recycled content without function and performance being compromised. Increased material weight may be required to maintain the same functional and technical properties, potentially offsetting the environmental benefits of including recycled content. The requirement to maintain
precise performance standards and/or appearance across different production batches under this new policy, may pose a problem. For example, some automated packing/fill lines require specific properties such as slip levels or opacity which require a degree of flexibility in the structure of the material. The finished product must be fit for customer purpose, without, compromising safety,
Plastics film with lower thicknesses are being used for bag making
performance, and reliability. The plastic packaging supply chain can also involve one or multiple companies carrying out a number of different processes to manufacture a product. Each process generates waste for a variety of reasons including set up, trim waste and quality rejects. The amount generated will also depend upon the number of machine changeovers/set ups and component colour changes. If this waste occurs during
extrusion, prior to additional processes, it is relatively easy to reincorporate back into the process. There is, however, scrap material which cannot be reused as it will include contaminated machine waste. As additional processes take place, including stretching, coating, lamination, and printing, this inhibits the ability to put this waste back into the extrusion process, due to the presence of inks, glues, coatings, and other materials. There is no means of clearly defining at which point the material is packaging and which point it is production waste.
Knowledge of the product’s final use Paying a tax on goods before they are sold also fails to recognise that many products are manufactured and extruded without a customer order, and are kept in stock for later use. Extrusion may take place some months before it is
used to make packaging and the destination and application may be unknown at this point. The manufacturer will not always
know what application the final goods are being used for and whether this is for export or the domestic market. In addition, the supply chain may involve multiple companies, before the packaging is placed on the market, making it even more difficult to identify the final application. To overcome this, the British Plastics Federation has proposed that the tax point should be moved from the point of extrusion, to the point where the packaging is a finished item ready for sale.
Championing plastics recycling We already ensure that recycling and processing of polythene meets recognised industry standards, including the use of EUCertPlast certified materials. This focuses on material traceability, process control and quality of the recycled content in the end-product, and process control in plastics recycling. This enables us to replace virgin plastic with recycled materials through successful trials in a variety of industry sectors. To support businesses, we also
provide a Polythene Recovery Service to customers. This facilitates collection of used polythene from them and ensures resources are kept within the
UK, in line with The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) guidelines for the recycling of plastic packaging. Recovered material is recycled at our Cromwell Polythene site, and extruded into more film, increasing the recycled content of the factory’s output. Benefits for customers include free collection of recyclable plastic packaging, reduction of waste disposal costs and regular reporting of packaging returns. This service saves virgin materials in line with the principles of the circular economy and reducing landfill. As a member of the British
Plastics Federation, we support WRAP’s UK Plastics Pact, a collaborative initiative to eliminate all avoidable plastic packaging waste and make all plastic packaging reusable, recyclable, recycled, or compostable, by 2025.
A practical system? It is imperative that importers and overseas manufacturers are subject to the same level and rigour of auditing to verify recycled content. UK manufacturers will face the double taxation of plastics under this policy combined with government plans to introduce an extended producer responsibility system for packaging in 2023. Producers would be given significant responsibility – financial and/ or physical – for the disposal or treatment of their products once they are no longer in use by the consumer. We need to work together
to protect our environment, and re-use, re-manufacture, and recycle material. A tax on plastic packaging, however well intentioned, may not be best for business or the environment. More information from www.
cromwellpolythene.co.uk/cpr- manufacturing/
January/February 2021
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