The Timber Packaging & Pallet Confederation (TIMCON) has welcomed Defra’s interim packaging recycling targets for business, which have been released for 2021 and 2022. The figures are based on responses received from the 2019 consultation on packaging reform and with consideration of the current market and have been reduced from 48 per cent to 35 per cent.
TIMCON secretary general Stuart Hex said: “We are pleased to see this reduction on packaging waste targets for wood, as the high PRN prices experienced previously added a significant cost burden to the manufacturers of wooden pallets and packaging.
“Every other packaging material, including plastics, glass and metal will see an increase in targets from next year, which is a positive sign that government now recognises the clear difference between these and the unique environmental credentials of wooden materials, which are one of the key components of a truly circular, sustainable economy and the need to encourage more reuse before recycling.
“The release of these revised figures is an encouraging step, but the UK industry is still operating at a marked disadvantage to its counterparts in Europe, for whom targets are 15 per cent, rising to a maximum of 30 per cent by 2030. The disparity between these and our artificially inflated targets continues to make our businesses comparatively less competitive.”
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