BPF takes on Jeremy Irons in TV Plastics Waste Debate

BPF Director General Peter Davis participated in a Channel 4 News Feature last night in debate with film actor Jeremy Irons over the Green Paper on Plastics Waste launched by the European Commission's DG Environment yesterday afternoon.
 
Irons has developed a lesser known career as a maker of documentary films with an environmental twist. He is a well known advocate of taxes on plastics bag use and bans on what he describes as 'unrecyclable plastics waste'. His film 'Trash' (2012) which explores over-consumption and the issue of plastics waste has raised his profile with politicians. At the Commission's launch of the Green Paper he shared the platform with Commissioner Potocnik.
 
In the 10 minute interchange, which was edited down and which took place between studios in London and Brussels, Peter Davis was able to explain the industry's increasingly impressive record in bottle recycling and how further progress can be made through improvements in the quality of the used plastics streams emerging from Local Authority Materials Reclamation facilities. He added that much rests on the willingness of Local Authorities to standardise their collections, a point which Irons concurred with. But with all political parties emphasising localism agendas, Davis added 'this will be an uphill struggle.'
 
Davis dismissed Iron's pressure for a plastic bag tax, pointing to their reuse and recyclability. He was also able to explain to Irons the functioning of the Producer Responsibility Compliance schemes which raise a levy on packaging manufacturers to support recycling. Irons was unaware of this.
 
See the interchange via this link: http://www.channel4.com/news/jeremy-irons-backing-campaign-against-plastic-waste
 
BPF's Public & Industrial Affairs Director Philip Law said "the BPF will be playing full part in the consultation on the Green Paper and will be aiming to ensure that the full potential of plastics is recognised in EU and national governmental initiatives."

ENDS

For all media enquiries, BPF logos and images, please contact Philip Law, Public & Industrial Affairs Director on 0207 457 5000 or email [email protected]

Notes for editors:

British Plastics Federation (BPF) is the UK trade association for the plastics industry – representing the whole supply chain including polymer producers, distributors, additives suppliers, machinery manufacturers, processors and recyclers.