NFTFL
In his exclusive column, Philip Law, Director-General of the British Plastics Federation, explains why this Autumn is a time for the UK plastics to truly celebrate, a new careers portal and dispelling myths about plastics in the seas.
This Autumn is a time of celebration in the UK Plastics Industry! Everyone I spoke to enjoyed their three days at Interplas at the NEC in late September. I am told that approximately 12,000 people attended. I congratulate Leanne and the team at Rapid News for staging such a successful event.
Some people were commenting that the buzz in the aisles was reminiscent of “the old days”. Let’s hope that this trend continues. It was certainly good to hear that Machinery and Equipment suppliers were sealing deals and two of the most publicised were Wittmann Battenfeld and Engel, real evidence of continuing investment in the sector.
Investment is a subject I touched on in my introduction to the Interplas seminar programme. I do urge the industry to cast aside current uncertainties and invest in the future. It’s only through investment that we can keep up with and hopefully forge ahead of the international competition. Without it we will just fall behind.
Interplas was good for the BPF and we received several serious membership enquiries which are now being followed up. BPF used the opportunity of Interplas to launch several new resources to support the industry.
A key one was ‘Career Zone’, accessible through our ‘Polymer Zone’ website at www.polymerzone.co.uk We desperately need new blood in the industry to replenish our skill levels and to provide long term succession. There has been little in the way of careers advice available to school children and as several organisations have fingers to some extent in the same pie there is little coordination between them.
Career Zone aims to pull all the information together and provide a one-stop-shop to anyone who is thinking of a career in plastics. It provides information about the benefits in working in what is truly an international industry where literally the sky is the limit. It illustrates the varied career pathways through the industry and details qualifications required for each stage. It provides details of courses leading to the appropriate qualifications and it gives indicative salary possibilities at each stage. Various figures in the industry have contributed their biographies so users can see how people have built their own careers in plastics.
We also launched a website to provide better access to information about marine litter. It aims to inform the public debate about plastics in the seas and it highlights the importance of keeping plastic in the recycling stream and out of the environment. It includes suggested actions for Government, industry and NGOs. It is accessible through www.marinelitterthefacts.com
The true facts on plastics in the sea are really needed. We have just carried out a YouGov survey to test the public’s understanding. When asked to guess the percentage of plastics waste in the sea that comes from Europe and the USA combined 49 per cent of respondents stated that they believed the two regions accounted for more than half of marine litter globally.
In fact, the USA and Europe combined contribute just two per cent! Only one per cent of respondents got the answer correct! Most people believed that the USA is the worst offender in terms of plastics pollution, with the UK coming fourth, when in fact the USA ranks 20th and European coastal countries combined rank 18th. This is how myths are created but of course it is more difficult to dispel them.
