The UK government has announced a review of the approaches used to reduce single-use plastics (SUP).
The Office for the Internal Market (OIM), which is part of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), will consider the economic impacts of measures to reduce SUP across the nations.
Since 2011, measures have been brought into force across all parts of the UK to tackle the issue of single-use plastic waste, including plastic bags, cutlery, straws and food and drink containers.
Scotland, England and Wales have implemented bans on certain products while Northern Ireland has a plan for future restrictions. However, restrictions introduced to date have been introduced at different times, with Scotland and Wales particularly keen to align and keep up with EU regulations.
The rules to date have been similar in substance, but far from straightforward to implement. For example, some of the plans have been held up by the Internal Market Act.
The deposit return scheme (DRS), which Scotland planned to launch first, is the highest profile example. Just weeks before the (delayed) launch in 2023 the Scottish Government announced it was being held up again until 2025 “as a consequence of the UK Government’s refusal to agree a full exclusion from the Internal Market Act”.
A UK-wide scheme was then planned for 2025 but delayed until 2027 by the Conservative Government. Reports this week suggested Mary Creagh, the new circular economy minister under the Labour Government, is keen to bring the launch forward.
“The fast implementation of a DRS is a big call from a government whose manifesto was strangely lacking in environmental commitments,” said City to Sea CEO Jane Martin. “But to work properly it must encompass all drinks containers, whether made from plastic, aluminium or glass and it should be seen as the first step toward truly reusable packaging.”
The new SUP review builds on the work of the OIM’s latest annual report which found that supermarkets have tended to adopt a ‘UK wide’ approach when using single-use plastic items like cutlery, plates and bowls – meaning they adapt to the regulatory environment by using items which meet trading rules in all parts of the UK or at least all parts they trade in, rather than using different products in each nation.
Foodservice and hospitality businesses have also reported issues with the devolved nations moving at varying speeds on packaging regulations.
The OIM therefore wants to hear from a wide range of stakeholders including SMEs and others in the supply chain about their experience of dealing with regulatory changes in relation to single-use plastics. How businesses have responded to the changes and the extent to which differences in the timing or substance of regulations have impacted policymaking and innovation across the UK will be particularly welcome.
The OIM is running a short online survey, which can be found on the single-use plastics project page. The survey closes on September 16th 2024.
