BPF: Understanding the Debate About Plastic

“It is important that people understand that ‘plastic-free’ does not necessarily mean ‘better for the environment” say the British Plastics Federation, in their new guidebook released to offer a balanced view on the plastic debate.

Understanding the Debate About Plastic is the latest publication from the BPF, which aims to provide a balanced and evidence based view on the plastics debate which has filled the media for the last few years.

Available both as a hard copy and digitally, the publication aims to outline the issues, and properly assess the current situation, challenges and potential alternatives, to provide readers with a bigger picture on issues surrounding plastic packaging, single-use plastic, marine waste and recycling. As stated in the document, ‘people have a right to choose the packaging they do or do not need in their lives. But if we are giving people a choice, we also need to present them with enough information to make an informed choice.’

If you’ve found yourself wondering ‘Why do we need single-use plastic in the first place?’, ‘Can a DRS (deposit return scheme) increase recycling rates?’ or ‘Why do we currently export some of our plastic waste for recycling?’ then you can find out more by reading the publication on the BPF’s website or you can read and download a .pdf version below:

Using any material has environmental costs, but the costs associated with plastic products are often significantly lower than using alternative materials. For example, researchers have found that switching to alternative materials across plastic products could quadruple overall environmental costs.

Plastics provide many critical benefits across a range of products and it’s important this fact is recognised. Plastics will – and should – continue to play a vital role in all our lives going forward. As we continue to learn how to use plastic more intelligently, we also need to remember to #valueplastic.

See here for the British Plastics Federation’s Position Statements on a range of industry issues.