September 2021
Featured in this insight: Central government & non-department public bodies, Chemicals, Financial services
83% of businesses did not know about an upcoming plastics tax expected to be introduced in 2022: A recent survey by Veolia aimed to uncover businesses’ opinion on the future plastics tax, instead found that over eight in ten of those surveyed, didn’t know there was one.
The tax is being brought in to reduce plastic waste and will charge companies £200 per tonne if the plastic doesn’t include at least 30% recycled plastic.
To help the environment, many people have been involved in climate groups which has resulted in an increase in concern about the amount of waste and pollution that is being produced. The study found that public conscience (48%) was a major driving factor in implementing this tax, alongside the Government mandate (30%).
The Government’s mandate is to increase the amount of plastic being recycled in order to decrease carbon emissions. Furthermore, it was found that if all plastic was recycled, global emissions would decrease by 61%. This, alone, means that between 30 and 150 million tonnes of carbon would be saved from entering the Earth’s atmosphere each year – according to the Imperial College London.
When informed about the future plastic tax, 84% of businesses polled agreed to support the tax on plastic packaging. They felt that, not only will it decrease the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, it will help create jobs for people and would encourage more domestic infrastructure.
Tim Duret, director of sustainable technology for Veolia UK and Ireland, said: "The Plastics Packaging Tax is removing the economic burden of acting more sustainably and levelling the playing field for businesses. In order to continue this momentum, we need to escalate the tax and roll it out across all types of plastics like construction, cars, furniture and electric goods."
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