Defra want these companies, including branding and design agencies, to develop innovative packaging that will lessen the amount of waste produced. 

It is intended joint government/industry talks with major brand owners, industry bodies and agencies to highlight what needs to be done by key stakeholders.

This will include a conference on packaging in January to address some of the key issues for compliance to help the UK to meet its 2008 targets. The conference will emphasise the need for forward planning and will outline what steps needed to be taken by business and how all those affected can best work together. It will be made up of all those affected by the regulations: large and small businesses, compliance schemes, county, district and Local Authorities, the waste processing and reprocessing industries. 

The government’s targets for recycling and composting are, 25% by 2006, 30% by 2010 and 33% by 2015. In particular the government wants to see an emphasis by the private sector to cut down on waste derived from surplus packaging.

The country's biggest supermarket chains have already committed themselves to cutting down the packaging used on goods they sell, and have pledged to invest in new designs and materials backed by the government-supported Waste and Resources Actions Programme (WRAP).

Changes to packaging rules have also been announced recently that will mean that more packaging waste will be recycled and recovered and that there will be more businesses involved.  Among the changes, Defra and the Welsh Assembly confirmed that leased packaging, such as pallets and crates, will now be fully subject to the regulations, subject to Parliamentary approval.  These measures are designed  to spread compliance costs more equitably among businesses.