Plastics urged to communicate

Press, 1 June 1977, Page 10

Plastics urged to communicate

; Queenstown correspondent i A warning that the New I Zealand plastics industry i had to improve its comi munications with public i leaders and legislators beI fore it was too late was j made at the plastics ini stitute’s national conferi ence in Queenstown. Mr John Thorpe, a public relations consultant, told the conference that a national attitude study was recently carried out on behalf of the institute and he was stunned by some of the results. The survey was held because the institute indicated that it wished to improve its relationship with the public in general and individual groups such as environmental activists, customers, and the media in particular. Forty-five people were interviewed during the survey and these people ranged from Cabinet Ministers to secondary school pupils and included managing directors, union delegates, technical engineers and newspaper editors. “As a public relations consultant 1 was stunned that only 35 per cent of senior industry personnel interviewed were confident I that the Government I understood the problems 1 facing the plastics in- : dustry," said Mr Thorpe. “A paltry 55 per cent felt I that the Government recI ognised the industry’s conI tribution to the economy.” Mr Thorpe added that, I judging from the respon--1 ses from Cabinet Ministers i and backbench M.P.s, there was a reasonable base for these doubts; but the confidentiality of interviewees prevented him from elaborating. “But when key figures of a major industry freely

admit that the Government has an inadequate grasp of the industry and its problems in the economic staff training, materials, supply, and tariff areas there is room for real concern,” said Mr Thorpe.

He said that there was room for a huge improvement in communications.

On average, interviewees from outside the plastics industry considered that between 50 and 60 per cent of plastic production was used once and discarded.

In his opinion this was a big blow to anti-litter and environmental efforts generally. He said that while the delegates at the conference knew that the true figure was nearer 17 per cent in disposable products, for the sake of the industry’s future the public must know. Mr Thorpe said that when talking of this group of interviewees he was talking not about the public at large but about the plastics industry’s public; these were people who should be far better informed and should know.

He further pointed out that it was from this group of interviewees that there was 70 per cent agreement that plastics were in conflict with the environment.

“It is this poor communication with your key ’publics’ combined with these mountains of misinformation which must cause the more thoughtful people in your industry concern.

“The visual pollution plastics created is bad enough; ultimately pressure had to be brought on the industry by legislation to find some means of organised disposal.” '