As WRAP and other packaging organisations head to Climate Week this week in New York City (21-27 September), the news arrives that flexible packaging is largely not making the cut for the UK Environment Agency. It means “61.8% of the flexible plastic assessed under the recyclability assessment methodology (RAM) received a red rating, representing almost 245,000 tonnes of packaging. RAM forms part of extended producer responsibility for packaging (pEPR), under which large producers contribute towards the cost of collecting and recycling packaging waste.”

The easy wins for packaging recycling and being had, such as metal. Although there is still plenty of metal packaging that is not recycled in the UK, it is something the Deposit Return Scheme will hopefully clear up going forward. Wrap also is working on plastic films and flexibles, in establishing a shared pathway for 2030. Currently, these films are not in most local household waste schemes in the UK.

Other goals include: supporting the development of sufficient, economically viable collection, sorting and recycling capacity ahead of significant increases in collected material, seeking to to build resilient end markets for recovered material and improve confidence in recycled-content, recyclability and circularity claims, aiming to maintain public understanding, trust and participation as collection services evolve across the UK, and defining the UK Packaging Pact’s role as the principal convener, bringing businesses, governments, local authorities, recyclers, technical experts and delivery initiatives together around shared evidence and coordinated action.

Speaking of packaging, and the machinery to make it, we will be at PPMA this week, 22-24 September, on Stand H58. Myself and Samantha Bull will be happy to chat with you about all things dairy. Please come by and looking forward to seeing some of you there.

www.wrap.ngo

https://www.ppmashow.co.uk/exhibitors-2026#/exhibitors/bell-publishing