UK Government to clean up communities with deposit return scheme for plastic bottles and cans

The UK Government recently pledged to end the throwaway society and clean up Britain, as it implements legislation for the deposit return scheme for drinks containers in England and Northern Ireland.  Once the scheme launches in October 2027, consumers will have a financial incentive to return empty containers to a collection point, such as at their local supermarket, so that the bottle or can will be recycled.  Used in more than 50 countries worldwide as a common-sense means of encouraging people to recycle more single-use bottles and cans, a DRS…

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Ensuring trust in AI to unlock £6.5 billion over next decade

The UK’s market for ensuring the trustworthiness of AI systems is poised to grow six-fold over the next decade – unlocking more than £6.5 billion as the UK government uses AI to kickstart growth. Using AI is central to the government’s plans for reforming the country’s public services and wider economy, going hand in hand with ensuring public trust in the innovations which will ultimately deliver these reforms.    Assurance ensures AI systems work as intended – in turn boosting public trust in the technology with a particular focus on making…

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Getting active made easier with £93 million funding for over 1,100 grassroots sports projects

Research shows exercising more was the UK’s most common New Year’s resolution for 2024, and the Government is helping hundreds of thousands more people across the UK keep their resolution and get active by delivering high-quality grassroots sport facilities. From Belfast to Bracknell, over 1,100 projects are receiving funding that will go towards facilities such as changing rooms, pavilions, state of the art 3G artificial grass pitches, goalposts and floodlights, improving access to sport and physical activity for local communities. Sports Minister Stuart Andrew announced the funding during a visit…

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New UK levy to level carbon pricing

The UK is to implement a new import carbon pricing mechanism by 2027 to support the decarbonisation drive. imports of iron, steel, aluminium, ceramics and cement from overseas will face a comparable carbon price to those goods produced in the UK reduces the risk of ‘carbon leakage’, avoiding emissions being displaced to other countries because they have a lower or no carbon price Goods imported into the UK from countries with a lower or no carbon price will have to pay a levy by 2027, ensuring products from overseas face…

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UK Government publishes guidance on its framework to create UK Sustainability Disclosure Standards

The UK Government has published guidance on its framework to create UK Sustainability Disclosure Standards (UK SDS) confirming that the Secretary of State for Business and Trade will consider the endorsement of the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards to create UK SDS by July 2024. Recognising the importance of disclosures that are globally comparable and useful for investor decision-making purposes, the guidance states that the UK SDS will only divert from the global baseline if ‘absolutely necessary for UK specific matters.’ The guidance also confirms that the UK Government will have…

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