Page 44 - Plastics News August 2019

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Plastic Bag purchases drop 90% UK CIA advises against hard
in England Brexit deal

. JRYHUQPHQW KDV IRXQG WKDW VLQFH LW LQWURGXFHG D ÀYH K’s Chemical Industries Association (CIA) has urged
Upence fee for plastic shopping bags in 2015, plastic Uthe new Prime Minister Boris Johnson to a ‘secure
bag sales at England's seven biggest retailers have fallen a deal’ with the European Union, as he prepares to
90 percent. UK Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers lead the country’s departure from the EU. A Brexit
VDLG DV KHU DJHQF\ UHOHDVHG WKH ÀQGLQJV :HGQHVGD\ deal, said the CIA in a 23 July message to Johnson,
7RGD\ V ÀJXUHV DUH D SRZHUIXO GHPRQVWUDWLRQ WKDW ZH DUH “fundamentally strengthens the chances of growth
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The data comes from Asda, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, the new PM and the 27 EU governments to “work
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Together, the seven stores sold about half as many bags
during 2018 - 2019 as they did the year before, a drop
from one billion to 549 million, according to BBC News.
Across all major English stores, bag sales fell by 37 percent
between this year and last, The Guardian reported.English
shoppers now use 10 bags a year on average, a far cry from
the 140 bags they used in 2014, the year before the fee was
introduced. The 2015 law required stores with 250 or more
employees to charge customers the equivalent of around 6
U.S. cents per plastic bag, NPR explained. Smaller stores
can opt in if they choose. Similar bag fees in Scotland, FRQVWUXFWLYHO\ DQG XUJHQWO\µ WR DYRLG D QR GHDO RXWFRPH
1RUWKHUQ ,UHODQG DQG :DOHV DSSO\ WR DOO VWRUHV UHJDUGOHVV by the end of October, The risks of a disorderly Brexit
of size, BBC News said. The continued reduction in plastic include disruptions to pan-European supply chains
bag use in our supermarkets is yet more evidence of the because chemicals registered by British businesses
KXJH LPSDFW WKDW D VPDOO ÀQDQFLDO LQFHQWLYH FDQ KDYH with Echa could no longer cross the border without
Haughton-Boakes of of the Campaign to Protect Rural LQFUHDVHG DGPLQLVWUDWLYH VWHSV :KLOH WKH &KHPLFDO
England said. The bag fee is only one of several actions Industries Association says it appreciates that the UK
government does not have an easy task, it points out
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investing in registrations under EU-REACH, sharing
information and communicating safe use in exchange
for a licence to market chemicals in European countries,
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pre-existing registration duties for a UK-REACH will not
only weaken our international competitiveness, but,
more importantly, offers nothing more to strengthen
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costly option to both businesses and the regulator is
considered over re-registrations whereby all existing
5($&+ UHJLVWUDWLRQV DUH UHFRJQLVHG LQ WKH 8. %rexit
taken by the UK government in recent years to reduce is the June 23, 2016, referendum where the United
plastic pollution. A ban on products using microbeads came
into force in 2018 and another on single-use plastics like Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. Brexit is
straws and stirrers was announced for England in May. It WKH QLFNQDPH IRU %ULWLVK H[LW IURP WKH (8 7KH YRWH
will go into force in 2020. was 17.4 million in favor of leaving versus 15.1 million
who voted to remain.

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