With many environmental legislation changes coming into effect in 2020. Here at Eley Consultancy Ltd we have looked at some of the key areas that many businesses are going to have to look at and address in the next year & beyond.
Brexit
Whilst the UK is going through its transitional period in 2020, the existing Environmental laws will remain in place until 31st December 2020. Any new EU Regulations or Directives that come into effect in 2020 will still apply to the UK in the transitional period & it is expected that these will be adopted from the 1st January 2021.
The Environmental Bill 2019
On the 15th October 2019, the government introduced a landmark Bill to Parliament to tackle the biggest environmental priorities of our time, signaling a historic step change in the way we protect and enhance our precious natural environment.
The aim of the bill is to “protect & improve the environment for future generations, a bill will enshrine in law environmental principles & legally-binding targets, including for air quality. It will also ban the export of polluting plastic waste to countries outside the organisation for economic co-operation and development, and establish a new, world-leading independent regulator in statute”.
The Queens speech, December 2019
The transformative Environment Bill will help ensure that the UK maintains and improves its environmental protections as we leave the EU.
The key features of the Environmental Bill 2019 are:
– Legally binding targets
– Target setting, monitoring, planning & reporting
– Targeting priority areas including air quality, water, biodiversity, resource efficiency & waste reduction
Environmental Bill 2019 link: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/58-01/0009/20009.pdf
Gov.uk link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-introduces-ground-breaking-environment-bill
Plastics
Effective from the 1st April 2022, a plastic packaging tax will be coming into effect that applies to the import & production of plastic packaging. This will apply to any plastic packaging that has less than a 30% recyclable content.
There are also bans coming into to effect from April 2020 on single use plastic that include plastic straws, stirrers & plastic cotton buds.
The ECHA are to band micro plastics from being added to goods from June 2020, goods that are likely to be effected include fertilisers, cosmetics etc.
Energy
The Government has announced that by 2030 it may be unlawful to continue to let a non-domestic property with an EPC rating of below B, which may apply to many businesses that currently rent their premises.
The current EPC rating for a non-domestic property is currently set at F or G. However the Government is targeting for these non-domestic properties to all have an EPC rating of B by 2030.
Projected targets:
Currently: EPC rating of F or G
By 2025: EPC rating of D
By 2028: EPC rating of C
By 2030: EPC rating of B