With the rapidly approaching UK Plastics Tax and increasing consumer interest across the whole of Europe in the provenance of their packaging, Berry Global announces the availability of certified recycled plastic from six of its UK sites. The investment in certification underlines the company’s commitment to its customers during this transitional period and extensive, long-term capabilities to provide packaging materials with a minimum of 30% recycled content that can be supported by independent accreditation.

This capability will be of particular importance after April 2022, when the UK Plastics Tax comes into force for all plastic packaging, both UK manufactured and imported, that does not contain at least 30% recycled plastic. It will also help to support brands internationally, who are seeking to demonstrate their commitment to more sustainable packaging in the light of ongoing consumer pressures and potential future legislation in other countries.

Benefits of Accreditation

Berry’s Heanor site in Derbyshire was one of the first in the UK to achieve the European Certificate for Plastics Recycling (EUCertPlast), with five more of its plastic film manufacturing and recycling facilities currently undergoing the accreditation process. This will help assure customers they are buying plastic packaging with genuine recycled content, thus enabling them to claim exemption from the tax.

“With the imminent arrival of the new tax, our customers need to understand the origins of recycled material in their packaging,” explained Berry bpi’s External Affairs Director Mike Baxter. “This not only applies to the authenticity of the recycled material but also to its quality, consistency and traceability to ensure it meets the new requirements while delivering the highest levels of performance.”

The EUCertPlast certification, which works to the European Standard EN 15343:2007, helps assure customers that best practices are being followed throughout the recycling process for pre- and post-consumer waste in terms of stock management of incoming waste, recycling process, quality management, staff training and qualifications, traceability in supply chain and environmental protection. The chain of custody provides full details of the origins of the waste material and the waste management company from which it was sourced.

“Our independent, third-party accreditation through EUCertPlast gives customers peace of mind,” concluded Mike Baxter. “It is another demonstration of our commitment to help them meet and exceed their own sustainability goals.”

Access to Circular Resins

With traceability of recycled material critical for its customers in order to meet the UK Plastics Tax requirement, Berry has recently made a series of announcements regarding significant investments to reliably secure circular resins – up to 600 million pounds per year by 2025. This includes the development of the company’s newest recycling facility, Berry Leamington Spa, UK, where access to circular resin is already available.