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  "path": "/money/british-glass-industry-warns-120000-jobs-risk-ed-miliband-net-zero-levies",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-08T20:10:04.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Ed Miliband warned Net Zero upgrades could 'backfire' as families use more heating, not less",
    "Ed Miliband warned he is risking 'accelerating the decline of UK's foundational industries'",
    "Farm waste could heat millions of homes and dramatically slash bills, industry experts claim",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nBritain’s glass manufacturing industry has warned that around 120,000 jobs across its supply chain could be placed at risk as foreign investors reportedly hold back billions of pounds in planned spending.\n\nTrade body British Glass said the Government’s extended producer responsibility levy is driving investment overseas at a critical moment for the sector.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe organisation warned the policy risks undermining domestic manufacturing while increasing reliance on cheaper imports from abroad.\n\nNick Kirk, director of British Glass, said the UK needed to remain attractive to international investors both economically and politically.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nHe said: “As an economy but also from a policy point of view.”\n\nBritain’s glass sector contributes more than £2billion annually to the economy and produces between 3.5 million and four million tonnes of glass every year.\n\nThe industry is particularly exposed to overseas investment decisions because five of the six main packaging manufacturers operating in Britain are foreign-owned.\n\nUnder the extended producer responsibility scheme, manufacturers of glass bottles and jars must contribute towards local authority recycling costs under a “polluter pays” system.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nCritics have described the levy as a “stealth tax” that could increase the price of products sold in glass packaging by between 10p and 12p.\n\nBritish Glass argues the policy places glass at a competitive disadvantage compared with plastic and aluminium packaging.\n\nThe trade body said plastic packaging and metal cans do not face equivalent charges despite claims those materials are more environmentally damaging and harder to recycle.\n\nIndustry figures warned the timing is particularly damaging as manufacturers had been considering major investments to modernise UK facilities and reduce carbon emissions.\n\nAround 20 manufacturing sites across Britain were reportedly evaluating investment plans worth up to £100million per facility.\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * Ed Miliband warned Net Zero upgrades could 'backfire' as families use more heating, not less\n  * Ed Miliband warned he is risking 'accelerating the decline of UK's foundational industries'\n  * Farm waste could heat millions of homes and dramatically slash bills, industry experts claim\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nAt the same time, British manufacturers are facing increasing competition from lower-cost imports from countries including Turkey and China.\n\nAn industry briefing paper warned the levy “only encourages food and beverage companies to look abroad to import cheaper, lower quality glass, damaging British manufacturers and producing greater carbon emissions”.\n\nGlass manufacturers are also grappling with higher energy costs than many overseas competitors, placing additional pressure on profitability.\n\nBritish Glass said the combination of rising operating costs, overseas competition and new levies risks weakening the sector further during a period of major industrial transition.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe trade body argued the current policy framework undermines domestic production while increasing emissions through longer international supply chains.\n\nConcerns over the sector’s future have intensified following industrial action at Encirc, the Cheshire-based glass manufacturer owned by Spanish company Vidrala.\n\nWorkers at the company’s plant near Runcorn have staged strikes in response to redundancies and wider cost-cutting measures.\n\nUnite, the trade union representing employees at the site, has criticised the cuts and pointed to Vidrala’s profitability.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe dispute has also raised concerns about possible supply disruption affecting several major drinks brands.\n\nEncirc supplies glass packaging for products including Jacob’s Creek wine, Budweiser and Coors bottled beers, Jameson whiskey and Baileys liqueur.\n\nIndustry figures said the tensions at Encirc reflected broader pressures facing the sector as manufacturers attempt to balance investment demands, rising costs and workforce concerns.\n\nBritish Glass warned that without changes to Government policy, investment in UK production facilities could increasingly shift overseas.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "British glass industry warns 120,000 jobs at risk over Ed Miliband's Net Zero levies"
}