A strategy for green finance, energy security, and packaging from the UK government

In response to some of the recommendations made by the Skidmore Review, the Government issued a large number of publications on 30th March 2023. The Green Finance Strategy and the Energy Security Strategy are included in this plan.

Below are key summaries of Packaging taken from ‘edie’.

A report from the UK Government’s Green Finance and Energy Security Strategy identifies 36 things you need to know.

36 things you need to know about the Government’s response to the Skidmore Net-Zero Review – edie

Key packaging take aways include:

• The Government has remained firm on its packaging plans, despite calls for accelerated action. It announced that the Government will be implementing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) from 2024 across the UK, and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) from October 2025 across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• The Government has committed to exploring eco-labelling for the embodied emissions of industrial products and is currently consulting on how labelling could support demand for low carbon products. The Government will also work with the Food Data Transparency Partnership to develop similar metrics for food labelling.
• When asked to develop a roadmap for R&D and net-zero related technologies, the Government accepted the recommendation, claiming it is “currently considering options for what format this roadmap should take to be the most effective given the different potential pathways to net zero by 2050”.
• The Government notes that decarbonising the industry cannot be “undermined by carbon leakage” and has today launched an “Addressing Carbon Leakage Risk to Support Decarbonisation” consultation.
• The Government accepts the recommendation to set out a long-term pathway for the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and has committed to running it until at least 2050.
• The Government will consult on the “specific steps and interventions” needed to support the growth of high integrity voluntary markets and protect against greenwashing.

Where Benchmark comes in:

Benchmark is here to help Packaging buyers and sellers; avoid potentially harmful greenwashing claims and an eco-labelling solution with our ISO 14067 verified data capture, calculation and reporting solutions to enable business leaders make informed decisions about their carbon emissions and with our industry leading commercial cost calculations you can dimension the cost to the environment and commercial cost in one place at the same time.