On Tuesday 16 July 2019, Westminster Food & Nutrition Forum are hosting Next steps for food packaging and waste policy across the UK.
This seminar will discuss the next steps for food packaging and waste policy across the UK.
Sessions examine priorities for reducing plastic waste, encouraging the effective redistribution of surplus food and the impact of policy developments.
Taking place following the release of the Resources and Waste Strategy, which sets out the Government’s approach to reducing food and plastic waste, sessions will provide an opportunity to discuss the challenges facing the effective implementation of the strategy - including whether the target set of eliminating avoidable waste of all kinds by 2050 goes far enough.
The impact and future balance of industry-led and government-mandated targets, how best to improve the coordination of local collections, and priorities for the new Food Surplus and Waste Champion will also be assessed.
Attendees will consider what more can be done to develop and innovate food packaging. We expect latest thinking on what is needed to increase the recyclability of packaging and on reducing packaging whilst maintaining the shelf-life of products.
Delegates will also assess strategies for changing business practice and consumer behaviour looking at producer responsibility, industry led schemes and the role of taxation policy into the future.
Discussion will reflect key issues from the recent consultations on a plastic packaging tax, reforming UK packaging producer responsibility, and the ongoing Courtald Commitment 2025, and UK Plastics Pact.
Delegates will also discuss the challenges associated with the proposed Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) - including design of collection points, potential increased costs and duplicated waste collections - as well as the impact on business and local authorities, with a consultation recently launched on introducing a DRS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Further sessions will consider whether there should be more alignment on what is able to be recycled across the UK following the consultation on consistency in household and business recycling collections in England - and what more can be done to engage consumers, and support local authorities and environmental services organisations to improve the efficiency of their recycling services.
The seminar takes place with the appointment of the new Food Surplus and Waste Champion and a £15m Pilot Fund announced in the Strategy aimed at supporting businesses to overcome financial barriers to redistributing surplus food.
Delegates will discuss what will be needed from retailers, the food and farming industries, and food redistribution organisations in the next steps for driving behaviour change and reducing food waste, as well as what has been learnt in the early stages of the Pilot Fund.
Register for this seminar on the Westminster Forum Projects website.
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