Call for FPA to lead strategy

Alastair Storey, chairman and CEO of Baxter Storey Holdings, addressed 175 members and guests at the association’s annual House of Commons lunch (7 October), hosted by Mark Pawsey MP, chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Packaging. Storey used the occasion to call on the FPA to lead a coordinated sector response to packaging lifecycle strategy.

Storey said that the sector has great potential to drive innovation and creative thinking in hospitality and the FPA had reached the point where it could lead the effort to join up the thinking regarding packaging lifecycle strategy and link manufacturers, distributors, operators, local authorities, end users, waste management and recycling companies.

Storey says, “The sector needs to act together putting aside competitive rivalries and work towards preventing 1.3 million tonnes of packaging waste reaching landfill each year. That packaging waste has a value of some £38 million – enough to put a significant number of young people into a hospitality apprenticeship each year.”

In urging the FPA to act together, Storey concluded that the FPA has the opportunity to show real leadership and work out a practical, effective way of preventing packaging going unnecessarily to landfill.

Chairman Howard Colliver responded by promising to take Storey’s views on board and examine them with the FPA executive. The vote of thanks was given by FPA executive director Martin Kersh.

In his first chairman’s’ address at the House of Commons, Colliver reiterated his mission to improve FPA communications so that members are fully aware of the extensive work that is undertaken by FPA volunteer committee members and all the lobbying and knowledge gathering meetings attended by the committees and the FPA executive director. He also emphasised the need to grow the association’s membership by making it more relevant to organisations like Baxter Storey and other organisations throughout the supply chain.

By the end of the year, the FPA will have published a strategic business plan outlining the way forward for the association, developed a rolling calendar of activities undertaken by the executive and committee members and issued a further newsletter.