BPF Attends Circular Economy Taskforce Launch
Published: 2nd April 2025
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Secretary of State (SoS), Steve Reed has pledged to "end throwaway society” working with business to slash waste, boost growth and clean up Britain.
As part of the government's 'Plan or Change' and following on the from Circular Economy Taskforce launch, we at the British Plastics Federation (BPF) were invited to attend a DEFRA organised event to listen to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reeds, speech on what the outline plan is to cut waste across the industries. The event was hosted at the Dock Shed in London and included a comprehensive speech by the SoS for DEFRA, Steve Reed and followed by a shorter speech by the chair of the Circular Economy Taskforce, Andrew Morlet. This was followed up by a panel discussion from industry leaders from Biffa, Jaguar Land Rover and Mace.
In the SoS' speech, the main points raised were:
There was an announcement about who the five priority sectors of focus will be for the taskforce. These are:
- Chemicals and Plastics
- Agrifood
- Textiles
- Transport
- Construction
The speech also mentioned plastics a few times.
- It praised the innovation which chemical recycling played and how that will help with plastic films.
- It reiterated the role of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as the competent authority for Food Contact Materials.
- This includes the role of carrying out the checks to verify the suitability of recycling processes producing food-grade recycled plastics for trade, so we can uphold the value of high-quality UK recycled plastics on export markets.
- The introduction of Simpler Recycling and how that will help standardise household recycling (including plastics).
- He mentioned that the Plastic packaging Tax (PPT) can help support the stability and growth of our plastics reprocessing sector.
- It praised the ban on single-use plastic items, like cutlery and polystyrene cups.
- It mentioned that 80% of plastic products are still made of virgin materials.
To read the full speech, Click Here.
We at the BPF have engaged with the responsible ministers and informed them on the role the BPF can play in ensuring industry views are represented. We will continue to work closely with the various government departments and continue to advocate for the UK plastics industry. The vast amount of work completed by member firms to achieve circularity must be recognised and acknowledged in developing future goals.
