What can your business do to reduce plastics waste?

The UK Circular Plastics Network is running a series of events to introduce potential opportunities for your business to reduce plastic waste and also understand the actual challenges you have, both now and in the future.

This Peterborough based event is open to all sectors, but we are particularly keen to get the views from the local farming and food manufacturing organisations.

The speakers will focus on the agriculture sector, highlighting the environmental effects and discussing solutions to reduce single use plastics, for example, silage wrap, silage sheets, bale net, bale twine, mulch film, greenhouse film, tunnel film, food packaging and labelling.

Are you an organisation who:

• Designs, makes, uses, discards, re-uses, recycles plastic or plastic containing products?
• Wants to find out more about government funded initiatives to work sustainably with plastics?
• Want to hear from local businesses working sustainably with plastics?
• Want to learn about recent innovations and technology developments?
• Want to learn how Circular Economy can help your business become more sustainable?
• Is interested in discussing the challenges you have or expecting to have to work sustainably with plastics?
• Is interested in discussing solutions/innovations you have or developing to work sustainably with plastics?

Then you are invited to register for this event hosted by Opportunity Peterborough, as part of its Circular Peterborough Initiative.

Please get in touch with Richard.Cooper@ktn-uk.org or Sheila.obrien@opportunitypeterborough.co.uk for further information.

Agenda

8:00am:  Registration, Breakfast, Networking

8:30am:  The Circular Peterborough Initiative – Trevor Gibson, Project Lead

8:45am: “Working sustainably with plastics: innovations and funding opportunities supported by government”, Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) – Veronica Sanchez Romaguera, Knowledge Transfer Manager for Circularity and Smart Functional Materials

9:15am:  RECOUP – Stuart Foster, CEO

9:30am:  Agricultural Plastics Europe (APE) – Carlo Banchero, UK project manager

9:45am:  VIRIDOR – Simon Prior, Head of Local Authority Development and Supply Chain

10:00am:  Simon Fisher, National Farmers Union

10:15am:  Environment Agency (TBC)

10:30am:  Understanding the challenges with Agri. plastics – group discussions

11:00am: Actions for attendees to take forward

11:15am:  Event close, further networking

Background

Peterborough has a rural hinterland of approximately 4000 farms and 400 food manufacturing firms.  Greater Peterborough’s agri-food industry generates around £4 billion in food related trade per annum.

Independent studies have estimated that ca.3.7 million tonnes of plastic waste are produced in the UK each year of which ca.60% have been attributed to packaging and 40% to non-packaging plastic waste. Of this 3.7 million tonnes, only 1.35 million tonnes is collected for recycling: 700,000 tonnes collected and processed in the UK, 650,000 tonnes are exported. The remaining 2.45 million tonnes of UK plastic waste either goes to landfill or incineration. It is clear that this needs addressing and several initiatives are already in place.

The plastics industry, businesses, government, consumers and wider society all want the same thing: to reduce plastic waste and leave the environment in a better place for generations to come. There is now an opportunity for the UK to create value from plastic waste, develop and implement new technologies and business models in order to enhance its plastic recovery infrastructure, develop more sustainable businesses, and establish and embed a culture that re-uses and recycles used materials wherever possible.

Please note:

Throughout the year, there will be further UKCPN business breakfast events across the UK. The following is an indicative list of locations: Ipswich, Hull, Stirling, South Wales and Coventry.