IEMA responds to government plans for increased producer responsibility
In December 2018, the government released its resources and waste strategy for England, announcing its plan to address resource efficiency and the ‘market failure’ of waste production.
As part of this, it set out how it aims to reform the packaging producer responsibility system. Responding to the first consultation in 2019, IEMA welcomed the proposal to extend producer responsibility, cautioning that the scheme’s success in helping to maximise resource use and effectiveness would depend on it being designed in accordance with principles such as packaging design and governance arrangements.
The government has now put forward a more detailed consultation that sets out proposals for integrating these principles into the new scheme. IEMA has submitted recommendations, stressing that the minimum recycling targets are not ambitious enough. We have concerns that low and static targets, and a lack of parity between material targets, would create a lack of clarity and comparability, and act as a disincentive. We call for the targets to be higher, to help achieve the net-zero and circular economy targets set by the UK government and devolved administrations.
To find out more about the detailed consultation response, please read the blog post by IEMA policy and engagement lead Marc Jourdan, available at bit.ly/IEMA_ExtendResponsibility