BRC backs stretching packaging recycling targets

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has announced that it is supporting ambitious packaging recycling targets proposed by Defra.

The organisation has today (31 January) launched its report entitled A Better Retailing Climate: Towards Sustainable Retail.

In the report, the BRC said that it supports stretching packaging recycling targets, as these support the development and investment in improvements to UK recycling infrastructure.

It also said: “Steadily increasing targets over time provides long-term certainty to business, facilitating investment”.

In December 2011, Defra announced proposals for tougher packaging recycling targets from 2013-2017 in a bid to stop recyclable materials going to landfill. The proposals will see the target recycling rate for plastics almost double by 2017.

Defra’s consultation closes on Friday 10 February 2012.

‘High quality packaging’

Speaking to PN, BRC head of environment Bob Gordon said: “We want to see greater recycling as a sector and we have done a lot of work to lightweight packaging and a lot of work has been done to increase the recycling of packaging.

“Higher targets will drive greater consistency and bring about greater quality.”

Gordon also said that availability of high quality packaging and consistency will increase if ambitious targets were introduced.

He said that local authorities should be more consistent in what they collect and should be providing collection for materials such as paper, card, glass and plastics.

Elsewhere, the BRC report reiterates that signatories to Courtauld Commitment Phase 2 are half way to achieving their packaging reduction target.

Signatories reported a 5.1% reduction in the first year and need to reach a 10% target by the end of this year.

The BRC also said that retailers have been working with Wrap to improve recyclability of a range of packaging formats at the design stage, including changes in glue, labels and ink.