Paul Jukes to retire as President of the British Plastics Federation

Paul Jukes is to retire as President of the BPF at the Federation’s AGM on 25th May having served the maximum two years allowed by the Federation’s rules.

Jukes was elected to the Presidency in May 2009 when the economy was still very much in recession, and has been able to witness a gathering recovery in the plastics industry.

Jukes said, “A theme of my presidency was a level playing field for the plastics industry. We achieved that in 2009 when, after years of lobbying, we succeeded in obtaining a Sector Climate Change Agreement with the Government, giving eligible members a substantial Climate Change Levy rebate in exchange for energy reductions. This at last gives us a level playing field with other materials such as glass, metals and paper.”

Jukes commented, “I have been fortunate enough to make three interesting trips with the BPF during my term in office, to tradeshows and exhibitions in Vietnam, Turkey and India. I have been very impressed by the excellence of the staff of the BPF and their own determination to represent the best interests of our industry in overseas markets. I noted that in both Vietnam and India the British were the only Europeans represented there, while in Turkey we were accompanied only by our Spanish colleagues. This drive by the BPF to strengthen overseas links should benefit our industry, particularly with sterling having devalued during the last couple of years.”