BPF members “concerned” over no-deal Brexit

London – Two thirds of companies surveyed by the British Plastics Federation (BPF) do not expect Brexit to benefit their business.

Indeed, in the study of 100 member companies, conducted last December, only 7% of respondents expected Brexit to be beneficial, BPF said in an 11 Jan statement.

Some 76% of respondents stated that a no-deal Brexit would have a “negative” or “very negative” impact on their business and 53% are making contingency plans in case it occurs.

Additionally, 63% of plastics companies are expecting Brexit to cause “significant disruption” to their supply chain, while 17% believe it will not.

The survey also highlighted the following as issues that companies are “concerned” or “very concerned” about:

Customs and border delays (88%)

Material supply (78%)

Tariffs (77%)

Regulation (66%)

Labour (54%)

The survey also found that 21% of plastics companies have lost staff due to Brexit, mostly from non-management, technical and shop floor roles. One-quarter of companies believe Brexit has made recruiting more difficult.

“This data shows our industry would clearly prefer to stick with EU regulations," said BPF’s Brexit taskforce president Mike Boswell.

The figures, he added, also indicate that "the benefits of Brexit... are hard to see at this point in time.”