Heading back to the day job: Michael Gove is greeted by look-a-like corrugated cardboard sculpture on his return to Parliament

Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Michael Gove, was this week welcomed back to Parliament with a 3-foot corrugated cardboard sculpture of his head.

Following the Parliamentary summer recess, Mr Gove was greeted by the impressive corrugated cardboard bust. This was created in his likeness by sustainable packaging initiative, Beyond the Box.

Acting as a stark reminder of the ongoing packaging debate, the imposing figure took 36 hours to create. It was crafted with 99 layers of lasered double flute corrugated cardboard.

 

Beyond The Box

“We’re urging Mr Gove to ensure sustainable packaging remains firmly on the agenda following MPs’ six-week break from Westminster,” comments Beyond the Box spokesperson Andy Barnetson.

“We hope the life-like bust will serve as a daily reminder of the national demand for sustainable, recyclable solutions and help Mr Gove to make packaging a priority for the remainder of 2018.”

With a recycling rate of more than 80%, corrugated cardboard has the best UK recycling record of any packaging material. This rate saves an area the size of Greater London from landfill every four months.

Barnetson explains: “Corrugated cardboard is sustainable because it’s recyclable, renewable and re-usable. Although we always encourage everyone to recycle corrugated cardboard after use, it’s also a biodegradable material, which means you won’t find it filling up landfill sites for years at a time.”

“And ultimately,” continues Barnetson, “who doesn’t want a corrugated cardboard replica of themselves taking pride of place in their office!”

Notes to Editors

For more information, including spokesperson requests, please contact Rob Waldon or Lauren Gimbel at Richmond & Towers Communications:

robwaldon@rtc.london / lauren@rtc.london / 020 3179 0720

Bringing together experts from leading UK packaging companies, Beyond the Box, launched by the Confederation of Paper Industries, will help Britons learn more about the nation’s sustainable packaging choice: Corrugated cardboard.

The Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) is the voice and face of the UK’s Paper-based Industries. It represents 79 member companies from an industry with an aggregate annual turnover of £11.5 billion.

Consumer research: Two in three Britons admit they’re worried about packaging and the types of materials used to package their favourite products. This is according to specially commissioned research, which surveyed more than 2,000 UK consumers*.

Almost three in five of those questioned (57%) revealed they are avoiding plastic bags in the supermarket. Therefore seeking recycled packaging or supporting local businesses such as greengrocers, butchers and fishmongers in an attempt to ease their worries.

More than a third (38%) of UK adults are more troubled by packaging now than this time a year ago.

A number of worriers (17 %) revealed packaging was now so high up the agenda, it has become ‘socially unacceptable’ not to care about packaging’s impact on the environment.

For an astonishing 2.7 million Brits (5.3%), packaging is currently the ‘biggest’ concern in their lives.

*Census wide population representative study of 2,007 UK adults, conducted between 16th-19th March 2018