The Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT), taking effect from 1 April 2022, applies to plastic packaging produced in or imported into the UK that contains less than 30% recycled plastic. The current proposal suggests that a charge of £200 per tonne will be required to be paid by the first business in the chain to commercially exploit the plastic packaging. Four ways companies can minimise the impact of the tax on their business, which has the parallel, positive effect of reducing the impact of their business on the planet, are: reduce use of plastic packaging, reuse plastic packaging, use recycled plastic packaging and replace plastic packaging.

This article was first published in the October 15th 2021 issue of Warehouse & Logistics News, subscribe to the magazine by clicking here.

Antalis’ Packaging Technologist Manager, Jason Poxon offers its insight on how to reduce the use of stretch film: “Probably the biggest source of plastic packaging use among Antalis customers is stretch film. Through our free consultation and audit, we have helped customers to make savings of up to 70% in cost and waste, simply by matching the correct film to their machine and ensuring the machine is calibrated correctly.”

According to Darren Smith, Head of Marketing at Southgate Packaging, to minimise the increased cost implications, businesses should start preparing immediately by collating a list of packaging containing plastic material, specifying the amount of recycled content, and reviewing alternatives if needed. New product development in the industry is key to achieving the goal of sustainability and eliminating waste, and as new solutions and alternatives are brought to the table it will be interesting to see how the new tax has had an impact on the products in the market in 2022.

Storopack have been developing products and worldwide production facilities to reduce plastic waste, not to ‘avoid the tax’ but because they believe it is their responsibility to look after the environment. The company offers sustainable packaging solutions, including 50% and 100% recycled AIRplus film as well as the recent addition of AIRplus Bio Home Compostable film. Storopack are also committed to Operation Clean Sweep and through the Molding-Division in Germany, are a certified member of the Zero Pellet Loss initiative of the German Association for Plastics Packaging and Films.

Well done to Sealed Air which has launched a new paper void fill system to help E-commerce companies meet the challenges of quickly scaling up and satisfying fast growing demand for orders. The new Sealed Air brand FasFil Jr has been specifically designed to combine all the key performance features that enable companies to move efficiently and effectively from low to medium volume packaging outputs. FasFil Jr has a small footprint and has been developed as a ‘plug and play’ system for quick set up and easy operation.

Congratulations to Protega Global Ltd which has developed the Hexcel Dispenser Bench to complement its paper alternative to plastic bubble wrap. It’s a packaging innovation that can enhance operator efficiency, productivity and sustainability in all warehousing and packing areas.

It is encouraging to observe the industry being responsible and being prepared for the new tax.

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