Already this year AMDEA has had further conversations with Government Departments on various matters – the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations; Brexit, trade and the Northern Ireland Protocol; and a number of product safety issues that we had previously raised with the Office for Product Safety and Standards.

AMDEA has been urging closer liaison between different government departments, with particular emphasis on the need for those in BEIS responsible for safety and energy efficiency matters to talk to those in Defra promoting longer-lived products that are easy to take apart.

Our immediate concern is that there should be no suggestion that protecting the environment and the population at large should take priority over protecting the safety of individuals.

We are expecting the Environment Bill to come back to the House of Commons before the end of the month with further opportunities to comment as it evolves.