BPF Annual Review 2025: Director General's Report

Statement to Members from BPF Director General Philip Law 

BPF reached new heights in its membership with 41 new members in 2025. We now embrace well over 600 member firms.  This has been the result of a concentrated focus on the development of membership benefits, constant attention to membership benefits and carefully selective attendance at potentially productive trade shows in the UK and overseas.

Growth in numbers equates to growth in political strength.  It has enabled us to widen our efforts to educate Parliamentarians about the importance of the plastics industry to society and economy.  We held our main Parliamentary Reception in the House of Lords on 6th March, hosted by Lord Richard Harrington. This was attended by 16 MPs and peers, together with over 90 BPF members, an impressive strike rate for such an event.

This was supplemented on November 19th by a Reception at Holyrood, held in conjunction with the Scottish Plastics and Rubber Association. It was hosted by Kenneth Gibson MSP and featured a keynote speech by Gillian Martin, MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Climate and Energy.  On 25th November we held a political breakfast event to celebrate the role of Greater Manchester in the evolution of the plastics Industry, hosted by Graham Stringer MP, a former analytical chemist at Briggs and Townsend.

L-R: Philip Law (Director General, BPF), Isy Ferguson (President, SPRA), Gillian Martin (Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy)

The key political request we promoted was the recognition of the plastics industry as a ‘foundation industry’, a label used increasingly frequently by government as a criterion for the award of grants.

 

 

 

We have also pressed for the improved management of used plastics.  There has been a loss of 400,000 tonnes of recycling capacity in the last four years. Harried by fraudulent imports and struggling competitiveness, recycling infrastructure needs urgent attention as does a legislative framework which encourages a level playing field.  A message that we took straight to the heard of Government through our 'Stabilise and Grow' publication in December.

Stabilise and Grow:
An Action Plan for the UK Plastics Recycling Sector

Competitiveness is the third pillar of our political requirements.  In an increasingly tough global market small firms need government support and incentivisation to export successfully, a legislative regime that doesn’t favour the competition and an energy strategy that sharpens the cutting edge.  It also needs an inflow of skilled manpower that can help develop business.

To increase members’ awareness of overseas opportunities and to assist in benchmarking, BPF staged a two day visit to the Porsche factory in Stuttgart, very kindly sponsored by Aquapurge, on 5th-6th June. 

Delegates on the BPF Porsche Factory Tour 2025 Sponsored by Aquapurge

It was also a strong year for overseas trade fair exhibitions with BPF stands at PRSE in Amsterdam, 1st - 2nd April, Chinaplas in Shenzhen, 15th - 18th April 2026, the ‘K2025’ fair, 8th - 15th October and Plastics Live Ireland 26th - 7th November.

British Pavilion at K 2025

Our intensive work on key industry issues has been dominated by sustainability. Considerable effort was applied to plastics packaging EPR. We published a Guidance document on ESG to help members navigate sustainability, set KPI’s and avoid greenwashing.

We still await the report of the government’s Circular Economy Task Force.

The theme of microplastics is increasing in prominence. Whilst there is no place in the environment for used plastics, it is heartening to see recent coverage of the subject having a more scientific base.

An emerging issue is the growing commercial impact of EU legislative developments on the UK plastics industry.  Aspects of the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulations, for example, are unpromising.

The emergence of the ‘Made in the EU’s’ concept could limit the scope for sales to the EU in public procurement situations.  The EU’s Industrial Accelerator Act and its ‘Winter Package’ might introduce concessions to EU industry not available to UK companies. We have taken steps to strengthen our involvement in EU-level associations and our use of the UK’s Mission to the EU.

I would like to give my thanks to BPF staff members for their magnificent work, delivered under pressure but with such good humour. Once again, uncomplainingly, you went that extra mile.

Finally, to you, the members, whose backing made it all possible; the members of the Council for their steadfast support and lively debate and to our President Martin Hitchin for his ready availability as President and his sound advice based on an extremely broad international experience.

Kind Regards

Philip Law Director General British Plastics Federation

 

 

 

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