In his May Briefing to MPs (Members of Parliament), David Workman (photo), director general of the Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI), Brussels, Belgium, set out what he believes should be the priorities for a future U.K. government. According to Workman, the overriding priorities should be:

• To rebalance the economy by setting a target—or failing that an ‘"aspiration"—of achieving 20% of GDP from manufacturing by 2020. All government departments should sign up, including DECC.
• To create a truly "circular society" by developing a fresh approach to resource efficiency and genuine recycling.

The briefing calls for action on nine specific measures Workman feels should be taken by the next U.K. government:

• Develop policies designed to ensure security of energy supplies and costs that, for industry, are internationally competitive 
• Ensure a mix of energy sources, which should include unconventional gas and even some coal 
• Recognize that Energy Intensive Industries (EIIs) are an essential element in the supply chain 
• EIIs should be totally exempted from the direct and indirect costs of achieving climate change targets
• Further support industrial energy efficiency
• Start targeting carbon consumption as well as carbon emissions, as part of a climate change policy 
• Move responsibility for waste policy from Defra to BIS with a defined resource efficiency remit (this would require a new approach to recycling, including the separate collection of materials and enforcement of quality standards throughout the waste steam, and no recyclable materials should be allowed to go to Energy from Waste (EfW) production) 
• Launch a proactive campaign in support of the often maligned packaging industry 
• Reinforce the current government’s policy of increasing the number of suitably skilled young people entering the workplace, with an increase in the number of apprenticeships being of key importance.

The briefing also includes a letter that Workman recently sent to all U.K. candidates standing in the forthcoming European election. The letter draws attention to a campaign, launched in January by CEPI, titled "BASTA," a Spanish word meaning "enough is enough." It also seeks the support of future MEPs in making a fresh approach to industrial policy a reality and highlights the plight of the many industrial sectors struggling to remain competitive in global markets.  

 

Workman said that "industrial policy needs to be put at the heart of U.K. and wider EU government thinking. We cannot allow it to be an afterthought once environmental, climate change, and social measures have been agreed; by then it is too late. That is why we say BASTA – enough is enough, let’s get back on track!"

 

Workman concluded his briefing by stating that "it has been incredibly disheartening to witness the demise of many manufacturing sectors over recent years—particularly among the EIIs. It is shameful that it now only represents about 11% of U.K. GDP. It is only by taking radical action that we can reverse the trend of recent years, and I believe that by implementing the proposals outlined above, we can make progress in returning the U.K. to its rightful position as a major manufacturing nation. The paper Industry is more than happy to work with this or any future government to help achieve this objective and, in so doing, restore lost paper production capacity."

 

The complete MPs Briefing is available online.