In the UK, the latest government shake-up has brought the fifth Environment Secretary in just over four years into office - not a recipe for a stable, evenhanded policy environment - leading compliance expert Ecoveritas to urge the government to stay the course on environmental reform.
The latest government reshuffle saw Thérèse Coffey replaced as Secretary of State by Steve Barclay, the former Health Secretary. During Coffey’s year-long tenure, Defra implemented such environmental policies as a single-use plastics ban for foodservice outlets and the extended producer responsibility (EPR) data collection requirements. Yet now, the future of these policies is again mired in uncertainty.
“It’s incredibly hard for businesses to build a trusting relationship with Defra when the direction from the top is continually changing,” said Andrew McCaffery, Chief Strategy Officer at Ecoveritas. “We would urge the government to take this opportunity to refocus and recommit to its environmental strategy – stay the course and let businesses plan for the future with confidence.
“We’ve already seen uncertainty plague the rollout of the single-use plastic ban and EPR, with many businesses still unsure or unaware of their obligations. Now is the time for the new Environment Secretary to offer clarity on the future of his policy – not more uncertainty.”
However, McCaffery also said there was cause for optimism, adding, “This does represent a clean slate and a chance to leave the sudden U-turns and tiresome culture war-style discussions around environmental policy behind. We can only hope the government allows the new Secretary of State to take that chance.