Press release - BCF welcomes Government’s Industrial Strategy Green Paper

• The British Coatings Federation (BCF) - representing more than 140 members that contribute £4 billion annually to the UK economy and export £1 billion of products a year - supports the vision for a joined-up, long-term Industrial Strategy set out in today’s Green Paper.
• It welcomes the Green Paper’s recognition of the importance of ‘foundational’ or ‘enabling’ sectors to the wider manufacturing industry - such as coatings - without which other sectors could not function. 
• Coatings are relied upon downstream by companies worth £300 billion a year to the UK economy, including in the eight ‘growth-driving sectors’ identified in the Green Paper. 
• BCF looks forward to responding to the consultation and engaging with the Government to make the vision for an Industrial Strategy a big success.

The British Coatings Federation has welcomed today’s publication of the Government’s Industrial Strategy Green Paper. The organisation has consistently called for a long-term and robust UK industrial strategy, with industry itself involved in its development. The proposals outlined in the Green Paper today provides the bedrock for that vision to be delivered upon.

The overall Strategy focuses on building on already identified strengths, namely eight growth-driving sectors: Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Energy Industries, Creative Industries, Defence, Digital and Technologies, Financial Services, Life Sciences, and Professional and Business Services.

Crucially, however, the plan also identifies the need to provide policies ‘for those subsectors on which the growth-driving sectors have critical dependencies….’ Including ‘“Foundational”’ sectors…which provide critical inputs and infrastructure to our growth-driving sectors.’ It ‘identifies the importance of strong supply chain linkages between sectors, as supporting upstream sectors can enhance the productivity of downstream sectors.’

This is a clear recognition that if the Government wishes to bring in more investment from companies working in fields such as aerospace, automotive, life sciences or green energy, it also needs to ensure that there is a strong domestic manufacturing supply chain of ‘enabling sectors’, like coatings, without which those other industries will not succeed. This addition goes much further than the previous Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Plan and is a positive step.

BCF also welcomes the recognition that a broader ‘pro-business environment’ needs to be in place for the Strategy to work. The Green Paper notes this being created with positive policies on ‘people and skills, innovation, energy and infrastructure, the regulatory environment, crowding in investment, and international partnerships and trade.’ 

BCF agrees with all of those areas, particularly creating the correct regulatory environment. Crucial to the coatings sector, and all those within the broader Chemicals Industry, is to finally deliver a solution on chemical regulation in a way that delivers an ambitious and proportionate regulatory environment within which UK businesses can compete as world leaders, including a swift resolution to UK REACH.

BCF CEO Tom Bowtell said:

“We welcome the publication of the Green Paper and the vision for a holistic and long-term UK Industrial Strategy. In particular, we are pleased to see the recognition of the importance of ‘foundational’ sectors – such as coatings – in the Strategy. It is also pleasing to see a joined-up approach with references to a need for a pro-business regulatory environment. This latter is fundamental to those businesses working in the chemicals sector and where we need to see, finally, workable and proportionate post-Brexit regulatory regimes put in place, especially for UK REACH.

“BCF looks forward to responding to the consultation, and talking with Government, to set out how the coatings sector can help deliver on the positive plans for a strong and growing domestic UK manufacturing base. We already have a positive story to tell but with the right policies we can, collectively – Government and industry working together – make British manufacturing an even greater success.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

About BCF and Coatings:

• The British Coatings Federation is the Trade Association for the UK’s coatings industry, representing the manufacturers of paint, specialist coatings, printing inks, and wallcoverings in the UK. The coatings sector is a British success story that creates jobs, contributes to the economy and sells to the rest of the world. It is a proud net exporter that contributes £4 billion a year to the UK economy, directly employing 14,000 people. Moreover, other important industries downstream worth around £300 billion per annum to the UK rely on our coatings, with a further 300,000 people employed in using or applying them.
• Coatings are used within virtually every industry, to make products better, safer, and more effective. The range of industries that rely on coatings includes: construction; automotive and transport; healthcare and hospitals; industrial and manufacturing; design and branding; entertainment and leisure; food and drink; aerospace and defence; printing and packaging; home appliances and technology; fencing, flooring and furniture. Find out more via BCF’s Essential Coatings Report.
• The BCF helps its members to better understand the news rules and regulations emerging from Government and lobbies on various issues of concern to the businesses working in this area. It also shows leadership across the sector, pushing for and supporting modernisation and change in areas such as sustainability and Diversity and Inclusion. Some of its campaigning is also focussed on informing consumers, as they often have a role to play too in making sure products are used or disposed of in a safe and appropriate way.