(Credit: Pixabay)With a new plastic packaging tax coming into effect in the United Kingdom, HLP Klearfold has put together a guide to help businesses prepare for the policy and understand how it will impact their operations.
The tax goes into effect on April 1 and applies to plastic packaging that has been manufactured in or imported into the UK and does not contain at least 30% recycled plastic. The guide illustrates the tax and how it impacts businesses by breaking the information down into sections. It answers why the plastic packaging tax is being implemented, how to calculate the recycled content of plastic packaging, who needs to pay the tax and what businesses need to report to the government.
According to the Waste and Resources Action Programme, packaging accounts for nearly 70% of the UK’s plastic waste. The plastic packaging tax first was brought up in 2017 and passed last year. In addition to the 30% recycled rule any packaging that is not predominantly plastic by weight is also exempt.
An objective of the policy is to provide economic incentives for businesses to use more sustainable packaging, create demand for recycled materials and increase recycling while diverting waste from landfills.
Sustainable packaging has been an area in which companies are attempting to make sustainable changes, which comes at a time when regulations to tackle plastic waste are increasing. This week the United Nations aimed to end plastic waste.
A Honeywell effort is turning previously non-recyclable materials into sustainable packaging, while Del Monte is attempting to make all its packaging 100% recyclable by 2030 and increasing the recycled content in its packaging.
Some 100 personal care brands recently pledged to reduce their packaging footprint by going plastic neutral or negative. Seafood supplier NAFCO is using reusable plastic containers to improve its shipping efficiency and cut costs.
HLP Klearfold says it developed the guide because internet searches for the plastic tax have gone up by as much as 67%, but that there also has been an increase in the number of companies seeking answers about how the tax impacts them.
The company says it hopes the guide will help businesses improve their recycled plastic production and become more sustainable. HLP Klearfold produces packaging made from 100% recycled consumer waste that is in turn completely recyclable.
