Materials

The government has agreed to look into a request by the plastics industry that it should be included in the Courtauld Commitment, the agreement by retailers and brand owners to reduce packaging.

Environment minister Ben Bradshaw has promised to arrange a meeting between the British Plastics Federation (BPF), which made the request, and the Waste and Resources Action Programme, which oversees the commitment, to discuss the idea.

BPF director general Peter Davis, who asked Bradshaw at a meeting last month, said plastics firms should be included because they paid £18m a year towards the recycling and recovery of plastics.

The Commitment has so far been signed by 13 retailers and four brand owners.

They have agreed to design out packaging waste growth by 2008, deliver absolute reductions in packaging waste by March 2010, and identify ways to tackle food waste.