The latest report published by the Environment Agency shows that over £1million has been donated to environmental charities over the past six months.
In the past, a company found to have been non-compliant with the packaging regulations would have to finance their avoided cost from previous years, typically through prosecution. In January 2011, the Environment Agency introduced Civil Sanctions, which allow a company to volunteer avoided costs from previous years’ non-compliance and donate the money to a charity of environmental concern.
In the six months up to February 2014, the Environment Agency have accepted Civil Sanction offers from 20 companies, with donations totalling £1,019, 566 being made to a number of charities. These include the Woodland Trust, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and Trees for Cities, amongst others.
Budget Pack has helped a number of newly-registered companies become compliant with the regulations, whilst ensuring that previous years’ are accounted for in a simple and cost-effective manner. Our team of technical experts can help a company understand the Civil Sanctions process and we offer a tailored and flexible support service, which includes preparing Impact Assessment reports and calculating avoided costs.
If you have any questions about Civil Sanctions or would like to understand more about how we can help with this process, please contact one of our technical compliance specialists on 0845 094 2228.
Robbie Staniforth
Innovation and policy director
Robbie is innovation and policy director at Ecosurety. Having spent years building an intimate understanding of the industry’s policies and politics, he uses this knowledge to help shape new legislation and oversees Ecosurety’s growing portfolio of cross-industry innovation projects including Podback and the Flexible Plastic Fund. He has worked closely with Defra during the most recent packaging consultations, outlining the impacts and required transitional arrangements of the UK’s new EPR system and is a member of the government’s Advisory Committee on Packaging (ACP). He is also a spokesperson for the company and regularly uses his influence to communicate the importance of environmental responsibility to external stakeholders.
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