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According to the Environment Agency, 15 minutes of Ken Livingstone’s millennial fireworks display in London produced more dioxin than the South East London Combined Heat and Power to Energy plant would in 100 years of use. Peter Davis, director general of the British Plastics Federation (BPF), and former Conservative councillor, gives a wry smile as he makes this point.

Ever since the Women’s Institute’s campaign against packaging began in 2006, the plastic packaging sector has been under a sustained attack from the media, most recently by Panorama, the BBC current affairs programme, which broadcast a damning indictment of the bottled water industry in February. However, in the year of the BPF’s 75th anniversary, Davis intends to continue to “fight the fight”.

The centrepiece of the year’s celebrations will be a conference, entitled Plastics – The Industry of Tomorrow, to be held in May. The event will discuss developments in plastics over the next 30 years and will feature leading futurologist Ray Hammond, author of The World in 2030.

“First, we want to promote the benefits of plastics and plastic products,” explains Davis in his London office. “Second, we want to show our contribution to everybody’s quality of life.”

Following a call from Panorama’s researchers, the BPF invited the programme-makers in for a meeting. “Panorama is a programme that you’ve got to be wary of,” says Davis.

Fighting back
Some of the contributions to the programme were more negative, including those from environment minister Phil Woolas, which, Davis says, were “rather ill-judged”.

Woolas said that many of the bottles that are thrown away “end up in our rivers and canals”. However, in his letter to the minister following the broadcast, Davis pointed out that 75% of councils collect bottles and that littering is the result of bad behaviour, not the responsibility of the plastics industry.

“We would prefer that no plastic went to landfill,” says Davis. “That’s why we do not like the term ‘waste plastics’.” He has asked for a meeting with Woolas and clarification of Defra’s position on bottled water.

Davis is half Danish, married to a Dane and a goodwill ambassador for the city of Copenhagen, and this Scandinavian influence has shaped his views on landfill. In his opinion, plastic has a life after use, whether it is through recycling or incineration at a combined heat and power to energy facility. He regularly cites the statistic that London sends 75% of its waste to landfill while the Danish capital only sends 4%.

“We’ve offered to advise the Waste & Resources Action Programme on technical aspects of plastic packaging, an offer which has not been taken up,” says Davis. However, over the past few months, the BPF has built up a close relationship with retailers.

The BPF recycling council is keen to ensure that waste streams are not contaminated and has raised concerns about biodegradable and compostable plastics. Last November, the organisation held a seminar to help define these new materials, and it is exploring whether there is the demand to establish a specialist group within the BPF.

But, as Davis points out, the availability of biodegradable and compostable plastics relies on successful harvests. “A lot is dependent on the supply of the crop itself,” he says.

Oil prices are also causing concern, having lingered around the $100-a-barrel mark since Christmas. “There’s no reason really why they should be so high from a production point of view,” says Davis.

Subject to approval, the rigid plastics sector should become eligible for a climate change levy (CCL) rebate in the next 12 months. “We were disadvantaged from the start,” says Davis. “We think it is a very ill-considered system, which penalises companies that aren’t energy intensive.”

Rebate resolved
Rigid plastic will be the final packaging sector to qualify for a rebate against the CCL, which adds an average of 15% to annual energy bills. The BPF has had to prove that energy use within the sector is more than 3% of production costs and that there is more than 50% import penetration. Energy costs have risen and, thanks to the re-examination of criteria by Defra, the “running sore” of the second condition looks to be resolved.

Now the rebate is nearing fulfilment, the focus has turned to the 2012 Olympics. “We are close to the Olympic Committee,” says Davis, who explains the intention to promote both plastic packaging, such as PET water bottles, and recycling at the event. “We know the key people there and when the time is right we will get into discussions with them,” adds the keen cyclist.

“People say plastics make designers’ dreams come true,” says Davis, and it is clear 2008 will celebrate the benefit of plastics to the full.

Prior to 1984 Held positions with Dylon, 3M and Metal Box

1982-84 Leader of the opposition on Lambeth Council

1993 Awarded the OBE for public and political services, elected a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, became goodwill ambassador for the City of Copenhagen

Oct 1993 to Sep 1997 Chief executive of the Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment (Incpen)

October 1997 to present Director general of the BPF

2005 Elected a fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3), liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Horners

2006 Elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts