Director-General Philip Law's Christmas Message 2019

Very many thanks for your continued support of the BPF! 

Our industry is fundamental — an economic strength on which many sectors rely. But it is the issue of plastic waste that has dominated debate in 2018. The BPF has spent much of the year communicating with Ministers, their Special Advisors, MPs and government officials, discussing the issues with journalists, and appearing on over 60 TV and radio programmes to provide expert insight.  

We published ‘Plastics: A Vision for a Circular Economy’, which aims to prevent plastic packaging waste from ending up in landfill and to minimise marine litter. Distributed to MPs and key stakeholders, it was the basis of the BPF’s Parliamentary Reception in September. Two Ministers, Therese Coffey and Richard Harrington spoke about the benefits plastics provide. This was a pivotal point in our engagement with the government. 

Whilst we managed to avert a wide penalisation of plastics products the Government’s Budget proposals still constitute a serious challenge and we will be extremely active to inform forthcoming consultations.

Thanks to members who met with their own MPs. It is crucially important for our member firms to have a good relationship with their local MP. Please visit our Political Engagement Toolbox and try to arrange a meeting to communicate the industry’s point of view, if you have not done so already. 

We have already begun working towards achieving the objectives outlined in our Vision. Alongside RECOUP, for example, we recently launched eco-design guidance in November to help packaging designers create products that can be more easily recycled. 

Our work bringing brands, retailers, academics and NGOs together to establish our Marine Litter Platform, our status as a founding member of WRAP’s Plastics Pact, our relationship with journalists and producers, and our close contact with the government in particular, have helped further cement the BPF (and consequently our members) as an expert voice to turn to in this debate. Throughout the year our proposals for PRN reform have been presented to government, and next year a consultation will be launched, into which the BPF intends to be a significant contributor.

As a consequence of these efforts, the industry’s importance is now more widely appreciated in government and we are now seeing a more nuanced debate, with recent media coverage centring on the potential for unintended environmental damage if we switch away from plastics. Three BPF members recently took part in a 30-minute show discussing plastics in a positive light for BBC Radio 4’s The Bottom Line.The signs are encouraging but we will certainly require renewed vigour over 2019 and beyond. 

The BPF’s Brexit Task Force has been in direct contact with the Government and we have been invited to join a Ministerial Panel on Rules of Origin.There is still time to take part in our latest Brexit Survey. The data you provide is invaluable in our dealings with government.

This year we also ran the largest ever Meet the Toolmakers exhibition, seminar and networking event, which we run in collaboration with the Gauge and Toolmakers Association (GTMA). This successful event helps UK plastics moulders meet tool making specialists. Almost 200 people attended, far exceeding numbers from previous years.

Next year, working alongside PlasticsEurope, the BPF will bring IdentiPlast to London on 7-8 March to share best practice from across Europe in the management of plastics waste. The BPF has also become co-organiser of the PDM trade show, the perfect platform to showcase excellence in our industry, taking place 11-12 June. We hope very much to see you at both these events.

Our work showcasing the UK will continue next year, when we will be hosting the British Pavilion at ArabPlast in Dubai on 5-8 January, at Chinaplas on 21-24 May, and at K 2019 on 16-23 October. We still have a little space left at Chinaplas (as well as a few DIT grants) for any companies interested in developing links within this unique market.

Our Annual Dinner was an exceptional, sold-out success in 2018. We very much hope to continue the trend and see you next year at the Royal Lancaster London on 10 October 2019. 

The BPF’s membership has now grown to the highest in its history, with over 530 member sites. Together  we will showcase an innovative, forward-thinking, thriving industry, one which will appeal to the next generation of talented employees and which  benefits both society and the environment. 

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year. 

Yours Sincerely, 
Philip Law
Director-General, The British Plastics Federation