A new UK body has been formed to promote biodegradable and compostable packaging and is seeking additional members.
Chairman of the UK Compostable Packaging Group [UK CPG] Ian Bartle, an independent consultant in the industrial use of plant-derived materials, says it has been established both to promote packaging's benefits to the public and press for their wider commercial use.
Alongside specialists in waste recovery and energy resource, UK CPG's current 60-strong membership includes senior professionals from packaging manufacturers, retailers, waste management companies, the Composting Association, consultancies and UK government.
The group has already established a Composting Association-administered UK certification scheme for compostable material complying with the relevant European standard, BS EN 13432:2000, and is working with local and national government to develop a supportive regulatory framework.
Bartle adds: "We have several experts in the field on board. Indeed, earlier in my career I founded and subsequently chaired the Alternative Crop Technology Interaction Network, much of whose work was later taken on by the DEFRA and DTI-backed National Non-Food Crops Centre, which plays a high profile role today in fostering the use of crops in non-food applications such as packaging and textiles."
