Spotlight on Policy, from the New Statesman - How to tackle the UK's plastic pollution problem | Sponsored by Coca-Cola

How to tackle the UK's plastic pollution problem | Sponsored by Coca-Cola

02/21/24 • 25 min

Spotlight on Policy, from the New Statesman

The UK is one of the biggest plastic polluters in the world. According to Greenpeace we produce more plastic waste per person than almost any other country, with our supermarkets creating roughly 800,000 tonnes every year.

We need to find ways to minimise waste through keeping products and packaging in circulation for as long as possible. This is where the circular economy comes in - a more sustainable model of production that reduces, reuses, repairs and recycles. With a general election coming up, creating a circular economy will be a crucial component of the next government’s net zero agenda, and businesses will need to play their part.

In this sponsored podcast, host and freelance journalist Emma Haslett is joined by Julian Hunt, vice president of public affairs, communication and sustainability of GB and Northern Europe at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners; Ruth Jones, Labour MP for Newport West and shadow minister for environmental protection and animal welfare; and Dr Costas Velis, a lecturer in resource efficiency systems in the School of Civil Engineering (SoCE), at the University of Leeds. They explore how the UK can move towards a circular economy, and the role businesses play in enabling that shift.

This podcast is sponsored by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.

To learn more about Coca-Cola Europacific Partners' work in making its packaging more sustainable, you can check out its This is Forward packaging commitments or for further information about the company head here.

Listen to the podcast in full here or on the Spotlight on Policy podcast channel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This podcast is sponsored by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.

Listen to the podcast in full here or on the Spotlight on Policy podcast channel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Why the UK needs a strategic vision for science | Sponsored by the Royal Society

Britain is trapped in “short term thinking”, says the world’s oldest scientific academy. So how should the UK invest in science and technology?

The United Kingdom has a formidable scientific legacy dating back centuries. This has allowed rapid response to global problems such as the Covid-19 pandemic, and provides value to the economy through technological advancements. However the Royal Society claims that “stop-start investment” in science and technology is hampering Britain’s future prosperity, security and resilience.

In this episode of Spotlight on Policy, host Becky Slack is joined by Sir Adrian Smith, president of the Royal Society, Chi Onwurah MP and George Dibb of the Institute for Public Policy Research, to discuss the UK’s scientific investment policies. They explore some of the policy solutions proposed in the Royal Society’s 2040 Vision for Science report, and how a Labour government would respond to the challenges of ongoing long-term investment and science and technology.

This episode is sponsored by the Royal Society.

Read the Royal Society’s 2040 Vision for Science report here: https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/projects/science2040/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

Where do we get the money to fix the world's biggest problems? | Sponsored

The world is currently facing multiple crises, from geopolitical conflicts to pandemics and climate change. But amidst this turbulence, international aid budgets are being stretched as domestic issues take precedence. The UK has cut its overseas aid budget significantly, from 0.7 to 0.5 per cent of gross national income. Meanwhile, low-income countries need more support than ever, as they deal with the fall out of wars, extreme poverty, natural disasters and humanitarian issues. The costs involved are huge, and while aid still has a role to play, we need to look beyond grants to unlock funding on a bigger scale to fix these problems.

In this sponsored podcast, host and freelance journalist Emma Haslett is joined by Sarah Champion, Labour MP for Rotherham and chair of the cross-party international development parliamentary committee; James Mwangi, founder of Climate Action Platform for Africa, an organisation working to unlock Africa's potential as a global hub for climate action; and Hannah Ryder, CEO at Development Reimagined, an Africa-led and women-led international development consultancy.

Focusing on the African continent, they explore the need to reform global financial institutions, and how the UK can develop new models of financial support that rely less on aid and more on partnership and collaboration with low-income countries.

This podcast is sponsored by One, a not-for-profit international development organisation which campaigns to end extreme poverty and preventable disease by 2030.

Join the fight for a more equal future: visit one.org.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.