Natural Polymers Group say MPs have backed calls to ramp up government support for British businesses at the forefront of developing alternative solutions to plastic packaging.
MPs were urged to support efforts to replace plastic and move beyond just recycling the material at a Parliamentary event organised by the Natural Polymers Group, a coalition of companies aiming to promote nature-based solutions that tackle global plastic pollution.
More than a dozen MPs, peers and civil servants joined the event, where companies including Xampla, plantsea, Notpla and MarinaTex showcased their products.
Charlotte Cane, Liberal Democrat MP for Ely and East Cambridgeshire, commented: “This exciting industry is leading the way to tackle the global plastic crisis and has huge potential.”
“For too long, policymakers have focused simply on recycling plastic, but this growing community of innovators shows just what can be achieved when we set out to replace it altogether.”
The Parliamentary event was led by the Natural Polymers Group. The group comprises seven different companies that develop natural, biodegradable packaging alternatives to single-use plastics.
Natural polymers, are created in nature so are not chemically modified, and explicitly excluded from the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) and REACH definition of ‘plastic’.
However, the Natural Polymers Group is critical of some UK regulations that, they argue, do not yet recognise their ‘unique advantages over traditional materials’, such as being fully biodegradable, compostable and scalable.
Commenting on the event, Assheton Carter, Chair of the Natural Polymers Group, said: “I welcome these constructive discussions taking place between innovators, industry and policymakers to help ensure regulation evolves in step with progress across the sector.”