Compliance expert Ecoveritas has urged the government to stay the course on environmental reform, as Defra welcomes its fifth Environment Secretary in just over four years amidst another shake-up at the top of government.

The latest government reshuffle saw Thérèse Coffey replaced as Secretary of State by Steve Barclay, the former Health Secretary. Coffey’s year-long tenure saw Defra implement several key environmental policies, including a single-use plastics ban for foodservice outlets and the protracted introduction of extended producer responsibility (EPR) data collection requirements. Her sudden departure means the future expansion of these flagship 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.

“Data collection remains the only way businesses can act with certainty around their packaging supply chain and the packaging waste they create,” McCaffery continued. “Whichever direction the new Environment Secretary decides to take his department in, Ecoveritas remains on hand to support businesses with their packaging and packaging waste data.”

For more information on the ecoveritas range of data compliance services, visit www.ecoveritas.com.