Speaking at the association’s annual dinner in London, Mr McGuinness said: “We should be pushing for an expansion in UK papermaking. If government is to meet its targets in the packaging directive and the Landfill Directive and local authorities are to increase recycling, we should be building capacity.”
He continued: “Surely it would be better for UK plc and the balance of payments if we used the lion’s share of the fibre in the UK and exported the finished paper rather than exporting the fibre which then fuels the import of finished paper.”
Reflecting a generally positive mood among BRPA members – with good demand for material and prices looking to edge upwards this spring – Mr McGuinness said that with global markets for material the future for the recovered paper industry “looks bright”. But he did sound a note of caution over manufacturing. “We know the historic stop start nature of the export market and if the manufacturing base in the UK were to decline further, things may not look so rosy.”
The BRPA event saw Ron Humphreys of Cheshire Recycling succeed Mr McGuinness as president of the association. Mr McGuinness also welcomed as guests Jonathan Shaw MP, chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Paper and Related Industries, and Graham Barnard, director of business affairs for the Paper Federation.
Confederation
Mr McGuinness went on to emphasise the BRPA’s support for the Confederation of Paper Industries which was launched less than two years ago. The organisation, which BRPA is a member of, has seen some internal wrangles with the departure of key staff but is now seen as starting to move forward.
Mr McGuinness said: “I believe now is the time to put our full support behind this organisation and allow it to become the one industry voice with the clear mandate to lobby government on our behalf on the issues affecting our industry.”
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