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Press Release

CPI comments on Westminster Hall debate on packaging

6 July 2011

It made a very welcome change to hear politicians from all parties praise the part that packaging plays in protecting and preserving products - especially food and drink - and the part that it plays in achieving green goals. Indeed paper is the most recycled of all packaging materials which then feeds through into recycled content figures for corrugated boxes, for instance, of 76%.

The plight of more established industries, such as packaging, has up to now been met with stagggering indifference by civil servants and politicians. Thankfully that attitude is changing but we still have a long way to go if we are to convince the (mostly foreign) owners of UKpackaging companies to invest here.

We need to declutter the legislative and regulatory landscape within which we forced to operate and most importantly restore confidence in potential investors that the UKcan provide secure energy supplies at internationally competitive prices over complete investment cycles.

The carbon targets that UK government has recently set are also of concern and I would agree with the Director General of the CBI who recently stated that to be one step ahead of the rest of the world was a good place to be but to be three steps ahead was positively dangerous for manufacturing - especially for the Energy Intensive Industries, from which most packaging derives its raw material.

The packaging industry is a diverse one but it does employ a lot of people and contributes significantly to the UK economy. It is also a barometer of UK manufacturing generally (most products need to be packaged). It is therefore an important sector which deserved to have its issues aired in this debate and Mark Pawsey MP should be congratulated for arranging for it to take place.



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