With manufacturers, retailers and consumers demanding and seeking more sustainable packaging solutions, companies are keen to promote their environmental credentials at every opportunity. It is essential, however, that all claims can be corroborated and are not exaggerated.

In order to continue to increase recycling rates for plastics, it is vital that we improve understanding about all aspects of the process, not just among consumers but also the wider plastics recycling industry.

The perennial challenge facing us as a society is that, while everybody is agreed that leaving plastics in the environment has adverse effects on nature, plastics play a vital role in our daily lives.

While business-to-business systems for plastic packaging reuse and refill have been in place for some time, it will be the ongoing development of business-to-consumer versions that will make a significant contribution to establishing long-term solutions for resource efficiency and the circular economy.

Any change in national or international environmental policy will almost certainly have an impact on the plastic packaging industry. At RECOUP, we are committed to being a key voice in shaping environmental policy for plastic packaging, so that new policies are designed and implemented in a way that is practical, progressive and purposeful.

An effective plastics recycling infrastructure throughout the UK is essential. The ability domestically to collect, sort and reprocess the material will help to reduce the reliance on the export of plastic waste to other countries.

A critical issue facing manufacturers of plastic packaging, and the brand owners who use their solutions, is how best to achieve recyclability in a way that is practical and cost-effective.