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A new study by http://www.netregs.gov.uk has found that small and medium-sized businesses operating in the UK food and drink manufacturing sector are putting themselves at risk of prosecution by failing to keep up with changing environmental regulations.

In the past year alone, there have been four significant changes to UK environmental laws relevant to food and drink manufacturers – but research suggests that the vast majority of SMEs in the sector would be unable to name even one of these.

The SME-nvironment survey, commissioned by environmental guidance website NetRegs, found that less than a third (31 per cent) of SMEs in the food and drink manufacturing industry are able to name one piece of environmental legislation without being prompted.

The food and drink manufacturing sector is the third highest producer of waste in the UK, generating 3.4 million tonnes of waste in 2006, and has specific responsibilities under a range of waste regulations. Several changes have been implemented over the last 12 months to tighten up waste controls in food and drink manufacturing, and businesses not aware of these changes could face prosecution for non-compliance.

Last October, the revised Landfill Directive specified that all solid waste must be pre-treated before going to landfill and liquid waste is now banned. June 2007 saw the implementation of REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals). This is new legislation aimed at protecting the environment and human health and affects all food and drink businesses that use chemical substances and preparations such as cleaning chemicals, machine lubricants, sterilisers and adhesives.

The WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Regulations, introduced in January 2007 and fully enforced in July 2007, affect the treatment of almost all end-of-life electrical equipment. In most cases businesses can now return the equipment to the producer to dispose of or recycle.

Despite all this activity, awareness of applicable legislation is low. Just 50 per cent of businesses in food and drink could recall the Packaging Waste Regulations unprompted, 46 per cent were aware of the Waste Management Licensing Regulations and just seven per cent were aware of WEEE – one of the lowest scores of the industries surveyed.

Richard Martin, NetRegs programme manager, explains: "Despite widespread publicity and the risk of prosecution, many SMEs in food and drink manufacturing are not keeping abreast of these changes - mistakenly believing that they do not affect their businesses. It is surprising that even the very relevant Packaging Waste Regulations are only remembered unprompted by half of small businesses operating in this sector. These businesses really do need to improve their knowledge of environmental legislation."

Richard Martin continues: "We understand how difficult it is for small businesses to keep on top of changing regulations. The food and drink sector is subject to a range of legislation, from waste disposal to use of packaging and water resources – but understanding these needn't cost time and money. Websites such as http://www.netregs.gov.uk offer free guidance on all applicable environmental regulations and businesses can also register for regular e-alert updates to help keep on top of the changes. Businesses can find that improving their awareness of legislation and taking practical measures to reduce harm to the environment could generate cost savings and improve their competitiveness."

The Local Food Company, based in Devon, brings together local food producers from the South West and delivers their fresh produce to customers across the UK. Owners, Dionne and Simon Rooney, have introduced a range of measures aimed at reducing the business' impact on the environment.

"Running a small business, we are often short on time, so I find NetRegs.gov.uk helpful as I can quickly access clear, fool-proof information about environmental legislation that is directly relevant to our business," explains Dionne Rooney. "One example of a need to know piece of legislation for us, is the requirement to pre-treat waste. We always sort our waste in line with NetReg's recommendations and as a result end up sending only one bag of business waste to landfill each week.

"We re-use nearly all supplier boxes, we shred paper from the office for packing and compost any organic waste. Since the WEEE Regulations came into force, we also need to be aware of how to dispose of our electrical equipment when it no longer works. By being aware of new legislation, we can ensure we are not incurring unnecessary recycling costs ourselves and in the case of WEEE are actually saving money on waste disposed."

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