08 December 2021
Bira board member Hellen Stirling-Baker joined the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee to discuss plastic waste.
The committee meeting held on the 7th December 2021 included witnesses: Andrew Opie, Sustainability and Food Director, British Retail Consortium; Steven Butts, Head of Corporate Responsibility, WM Morrison supermarkets Ltd; and Hellen Stirling-Baker, Founder of Small Stuff, and Lead Board member for sustainability for Bira.
Questions included:
- What ability do retailers have to reduce plastic consumption and improve the recyclability of plastic packaging through relationships with suppliers?
- Would sector-specific targets be helpful to speed up progress in reducing plastic packaging in the retail sector?
- What are retailers doing to reduce the amounts of plastic packaging within their own brand products?
- What is stopping refill and reuse from becoming the default approach?
- What will it take for take-back services or in-store recycling to become normalised?
- What are the main barriers to changing consumer behaviour?
- How can waste collection be improved to help small businesses with plastic recycling?
- Are retailers ready for deposit return schemes and what support is needed for small businesses?
To watch the full committee meeting click on the link below.