Carbon neutrality achieved by FIA^UK
 

As a leading advocate and voice for the UK flexographic sector, FIA^UK is committed to constant improvement across all its activities.

As part of this drive, FIA^UK is pleased to announce that it is now verified as a carbon neutral organisation, as part of the Carbon Neutral Britain initiative.

For its member businesses, FIA^UK is offering carbon evaluation, offsetting and certification at a reduced rate through Carbon Neutral Britain.

Click here to learn more.

Printing industry celebrates the Printing Charity’s 2023 Rising Stars
 

The Printing Charity’s 2023 Rising Star Awards reception, hosted by Printing Charity President
Emeritus Lord Black of Brentwood, was held at the House of Lords on 6th July 2023.
 
Members of the print, packaging, paper, publishing and graphics industries joined the charity at the event to celebrate the achievements of this year’s Award winners, who each received grants of up to £1500 for training and development to help them shine in their careers.

Read more here.

Global trends in flexible packaging

 
A vital tool in helping the flexo supply chain navigate an evolving industry, data and intelligence firm Smithers has released a new infographic on the latest global trends in flexible packaging.
 
Offering a strong visual aid and important at-a-glance statistics on potential areas of progression, the infographic explores market growth projections, as well as expected growth by material substrate.
 
Click here to view or download the new Smithers infographic.

EPR Delay - July Update

 
Following long periods of discussion, the launch of the UK wide Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) will be delayed by one year, according to the latest update to guidelines, published 25^th July. As a result producers obligated to pay packaging waste fees will now not need to make payments until October 2025 for 2025/26.
 
Once implemented, EPR legislation will impose a substantial cost impact on the flexographic printing supply chain. However, it is essential to emphasise that collecting valuable data is a mandatory requirement. Therefore, despite any potential delays, flexo supply chain members must not be discouraged from fulfilling this data collection obligation.
 
While many details are still being determined, FIA^UK encourages all its members to familiarise themselves with the latest iteration of EPR guidance, which can be found at here.

Application window opens for reduction or suspension of imported material tariffs
 

The UK Government periodically looks at introducing unilateral tariff suspensions, aimed at helping businesses remain competitive in the global marketplace. It does this by suspending, either in whole or in part, import duties on certain goods, normally those used as inputs into domestic production processes. Suspensions will usually be implemented for a 2-year period.
 
The UK Government has opened a new duty suspension application window, open until 11.59pm on Sunday 6 August 2023.

Read more here.