Plastics - Challenges and Opportunities in a Circular Economy (UK)

Monday, 23 October 2017

Sources:

Graph UK Recycling Trends (source: A Strategic Vision for Growth, BPF, 2016).
The recycling of PET bottles has risen 1,900% since 2001. (source: Recoup UK Household Collection Survey 2014).
75% of plastic bottles in Wales are recycled due to a harmonised collection scheme (source: Recoup)
In the past 5 years, the number of councils collecting PTT has risen from 30% to 75% (source: Recoup).
Over ten years the average weight of plastic packaging has reduced by 28% (source: Plastic Packaging – Born to Protect, PlasticsEurope, 2012 ).
Replacing plastics with alternative materials would quadruple the environmental cost. (source: Plastics and Sustainability: A Valuation of Environmental Benefits, Costs and Opportunities for Continuous Improvement, Trucost, 2016).
Approximate direct employment in verioud manufacturing sectors (source: A Strategic Vision for Growth, BPF 2016).
For every job created in the Plastics Industry it is estimated that an additonal 2.74 are created elsewhere (source: The European House Ambrosetti - The Excellence of the plastics supply in relaunching manufacturing in Italy and Europe p.27 http://www.plasticseurope.org/cust/documentsrequest.aspx?DocID=60702)
£23.5 billion, 170,000 people employed, 6200 companies in the plastics industry and 30% plastics and plastic products exported (source: A Strategic Vision for Growth, BPF 2016).

For sources for A Strategic Vision for Growth please click here.