SUSTAIN Partnership – Black Sheep, Fuller’s and Shepherd Neame join scheme to deliver packaging waste savings
7 November 2014
November 7 2014
SUSTAIN Partnership - Black Sheep, Fuller's and Shepherd Neame join scheme to deliver packaging waste savings
The number of brewers formally signed up the BBPA-operated SUSTAIN waste packaging compliance scheme more than doubled in the last week, with Black Sheep, Fuller's and Shepherd Neame having now joined.
Joining the SUSTAIN scheme will reduce the cost for members of buying Packaging Recovery Notes (PRNs), as well as providing comprehensive support and industry-specific expertise. The three new members join Charles Wells and Hook Norton in the scheme, and other companies are expected to sign up shortly.
The new scheme was introduced to BBPA members at a well-attended workshop in Birmingham on 16 September. Major cost savings can be achieved, with an estimated cost reduction of around 17 per cent for the average BBPA member - around £150,000 per year, per company.
The British Beer & Pub Association is the leading body representing Britain's brewers and pub companies. The Association is more than a century old and was originally founded as the Brewers' Society in 1904. Our members account for some 90 per cent of beer brewed in Britain today, and own around 20,000 of the nation's pubs.
Packaging waste is becoming an increasingly important issue for brewers and pub companies. The legislative framework is set out in the EU Packaging & Packaging Waste Directive (94/62/EC) - 'The Packaging Directive' and is implemented in UK through Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007 (as amended) and the Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations (as amended).
The EU sets recycling targets for Member States, which have freedom to determine how they are met, with penalties for Member States for non-compliance. To meet its targets, the UK has opted for the 'market-based' system of PRNs, which began operating in 1997.
The framework covers companies with a turnover in excess of £2 million and handling more than 50 tonnes of packaging, per year. Companies are obliged to buy PRNs to cover their packaging obligation. PRNs are generated for each tonne of material that is recycled.
The BBPA has been engaged with the development of PRNs since their inception. In 2012, the association urged the Government to review targets for business, and a change was made in the legislation, worth around £15 million per year to the beer and pub sector. Prices had risen dramatically since 2011 but have now started to fall.
For further information please contact:
David Wilson: Public Affairs Director Tel: 020 7627 9151
Neil Williams, Head of Media, Tel: 020 7627 9156
