Brands, Retailers and Plastics Industry Discuss Ways to Improve Marine Environment

On Friday 16 March the British Plastics Federation (BPF) held a follow-up seminar to its highly popular marine litter event that took place in February.

The follow-up event brought together leading brands, retailers, government departments and representatives of the plastics industry to discuss solutions to tackling this important global issue.

The seminar covered a number of issues including on-the-go littering, waste and recycling infrastructure, behaviour change, product design and waste management in the developing world.

After a series of informative talks and workshops, attendees discussed and agreed upon recommendations that the plastics industry, together with brands and retailers, could supply to the government with the aim of reducing the amount of discarded plastic entering rivers and seas.

BPF Director of the Plastics and Flexible Packaging Group, Barry Turner said:

“This event allowed the plastics industry, as well as wider stakeholders, to share best practice, discuss solutions and agree upon the best way forward. We as an industry are committed to working with the government and others to finding the right interventions to reduce litter, improve recycling and to encourage the use of reusable and recyclable plastic, so that we leave the environment in a better place for generations to come.”

Iain Ferguson, Environment Manager of the Co-op said:

“It was very encouraging to see such a wide range of stakeholders come together to discuss this global environmental issue. Collaboration, consultation and innovation is key to achieving the best outcome for our environment and this event provided a unique platform to discuss the most appropriate solutions. This work aligns well with our aim to keep plastics in the economy and out of the oceans and we are delighted to be part of it and contributing our thinking.”