Companies should be incentivised through the tax system to buy recycled materials, according to Unilever’s sustainable packaging head.
Speaking at the European Pathway to Zero Waste conference held in London yesterday, Unilever global packaging sustainability director Louis Lindenberg said that there needed to be a mechanism to encourage demand for recycled products.
He added: “I would like to see an incentive, whether it is a tax break or whatever, to those who are taking recycled material into the supply chain. That would create demand for the product.”
Also speaking at the event, Resource Association chairman and Novelis sustainability and recycling development senior manager Andy Doran said that businesses are pushing forward a resource efficiency agenda, rather than treating materials as a waste. This was one of the reasons for the formation of the Resource Association, he said.
He added: “I have seen in my company in the past two to three years that there has been a complete change around from business as usual to an emphasis on sustainability – both environmental and financial.”
