After months of negotiations, The Paper Federation of Great Britain and the UK Government have reached a consensus on the Climate Change Levy Agreements.

The Agreements entitle all participating companies to an 80 per cent discount on the Climate Change Levy on the basis that they commit to and achieve energy efficiencies. The targets for these have been set at the equivalent of a 40 per cent improvement by 2010, compared with 1990. ‘Milestone’ targets for efficiency improvements have been agreed with the Government, together with an extensive system of information collecting and monitoring. Alan McKendrick, president of the Paper Federation, comments: "Over the years the paper industry has made considerable energy efficiencies, reducing specific energy consumption by 50 per cent since the 1980s.

These agreements set challenging but realistic targets for the next decade, and the paper industry now looks forward to working with the Government to help it ensure its environmental objectives are met."