MPs have thrown their weight behind calls for greater Government support for British businesses developing alternatives to plastic packaging, as Parliament steps up its focus on tackling the global plastics crisis.
At a Westminster briefing hosted by the Natural Polymers Group, parliamentarians heard how UK-led innovation in nature-based materials could form a £4.2 billion industry and create more than 35,000 high-skilled green jobs across the country.
More than a dozen MPs, peers and civil servants attended the event, where companies including Xampla, Notpla, MarinaTex and plantsea showcased packaging solutions designed to replace single-use plastics altogether.
The Natural Polymers Group brings together seven UK innovators working with materials that are created in nature, not chemically modified, and fully biodegradable and compostable. Crucially, these materials are explicitly excluded from the legal definition of plastic under the Single-Use Plastics Directive and REACH regulations, yet campaigners argue UK regulation has been slow to recognise their advantages over conventional plastics.
According to United Nations estimates, more than 400 million tonnes of plastic waste are generated globally each year, with plastic pollution forecast to triple by 2060 unless action is taken. MPs were told that while recycling has dominated policy for decades, it cannot solve the crisis alone.
Industry experts at the briefing argued that meaningful progress requires intervention across the entire plastics lifecycle, from production through to disposal, with replacement, rather than recycling, becoming the priority.
Policymakers were also presented with modelling showing that, with the right regulatory and commercial backing, natural polymer technologies could support tens of thousands of skilled jobs and position the UK as a global leader in sustainable materials.
Charlotte Cane, Liberal Democrat MP for Ely and East Cambridgeshire, said the sector represented a rare opportunity to combine environmental leadership with economic growth.
“This exciting industry is leading the way in tackling the global plastic crisis and has huge potential,” she said. “Developing nature-based solutions will help deliver net zero while creating well-paid, highly skilled jobs in communities like mine and across the UK.
“For too long, policymakers have focused simply on recycling plastic. These innovators show what can be achieved when we set out to replace it altogether.”
Assheton Carter, chair of the Natural Polymers Group, said the discussions marked an important step in aligning regulation with technological progress.
“It is encouraging to see MPs, peers and civil servants engaging directly with innovators on how to accelerate the adoption of natural polymers as credible, mainstream alternatives to plastic,” he said. “Constructive dialogue between industry and policymakers is essential if regulation is to evolve in step with the sector.”
Alexandra French, chief executive of Xampla and the group’s UK regulatory lead, said natural polymers would be critical as the economy moves away from fossil fuel-based materials.
“These technologies offer a practical and scalable alternative to plastic,” she said. “By working in partnership with policymakers, we can accelerate real-world adoption, driving economic growth for the UK while cutting plastic pollution at source.”
MPs attending the event said the industry had “huge potential” and signalled support for shifting the policy debate beyond recycling, towards replacing plastic with innovative, nature-based solutions developed by British businesses.
