The Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI), the leading trade association for the UK's Paper-based Industries, has published its comprehensive manifesto in anticipation of the upcoming general election.
Our manifesto highlights what the next Government must do to ensure the UK’s Paper-based Industries have a practical policy and regulatory framework to facilitate investments in UK manufacturing, promote recycling, achieve resource efficiency, and manufacture world-class, sustainable, and indispensable paper-based products within the UK.
Andrew Large, CPI Director General, said: “This is a critical juncture for the UK’s Paper-based Industries. The UK must move on from the economic and social upheavals of the recent past and establish a firm foundation for green industrial growth”.
CPI has three key asks for the new Government:
- A fully funded Green Industrial Growth Strategy.
- Reform of the Resources and Waste Strategy to include separate collection of paper for recycling and an EPR scheme aimed at improving material quality.
- A competitive, business environment that supports industrial skills and careers, incentivises low carbon investment and ensures fair trade.
The UK’s Paper-based industries meticulously manage our natural, renewable, and recyclable raw material: cellulose fibre. With a recycling rate exceeding 70% of all paper consumed in the UK, we've significantly reduced our carbon emissions by 73% since 1990.
The industry also serves as an economic powerhouse for communities throughout the UK, providing employment for 115,000 individuals in industrial sectors and generating approximately £11.5 billion in turnover.
The UK’s Paper-based Industries require a policy and regulatory framework that facilitates investments in UK manufacturing, promotes recycling, enhances resource efficiency, and manufactures world-class, sustainable, and indispensable paper-based products within the UK.
In Energy Intensive Industries like papermaking, energy must be reliable and competitively priced on the international stage to retain existing facilities and attract new ones. High costs stem from a blend of factors including the energy commodity itself, the functioning of distribution networks, and government-imposed policy expenses.
In this competitive environment, numerous factors come into play, including human resources and skills, infrastructure, regulation, exchange and interest rates, taxation, and political stability. Our industry prioritises operating with utmost safety and is dedicated to recruiting and training individuals from diverse backgrounds across UK society.
We need Government to act to ensure that the UK business environment is competitive with those in rival nations, both European and further afield.
ENDS
The full manifesto can be downloaded here.
For further information contact Elisse Hare ([email protected]).
Notes to Editors
- CPI is the leading trade association representing the UK’s Paper-based Industries, comprising paper and board manufacturers and converters, corrugated packaging producers, makers of soft tissue papers, and collectors of paper for recycling.
- CPI represents an industry with an aggregate annual turnover of £11.5 billion, with 56,000 direct and a further 59,000 indirect employees.