In August, as HMRC drew to a close its extended plastics tax consultation, the ESA publicly urged government to 'stay the course' on the plastics tax if it truly wants to see Britain emerge from the Covid-19 crisis on a greener, more sustainable footing. In the face of much economic uncertainty, it is important that government remains strong in its ambition and in the timely implementation of this important tax. It has the power to unlock significant further investment in domestic plastic reprocessing infrastructure and jobs, reduce our national reliance on recycling exports and, ultimately, help to create more sustainable packaging, thereby reducing the environmental burden associated with profligate consumption of virgin polymers. The Plastics Tax has been in the pipeline for a couple of years and our sector is already delivering multiple new reprocessing facilities on this promise alone. We are ready to push the button on significant further investment, but a complete, new generation of circular economy infrastructure will only be realised if government gets the Plastics Tax and the resources and waste strategy right. On current trajectory, the Plastic Packaging Tax will, from April 2022, apply to plastic packaging manufactured in, or imported into, the UK containing less than 30 per cent recycled plastic.
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