British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS) – RECOUP Submission

RECOUP has submitted a response to the UK Governments consultation on the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS), which closed on Monday 19 January 2026.

The scheme is a major initiative aimed at reducing electricity costs for manufacturing businesses and strengthening the nation’s industrial competitiveness.

The questions were detailed and broadly focussed on specialist areas:

• Electricity costs and intensity in the context of manufacturing frontier industries within the IS-8 and the manufacturing foundational industries which provide important inputs to these industries.
• Eligible Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes and eligible ‘Harmonised System’(HS) products mapped to a SIC code in that frontier industry.
• The proposed approaches and how businesses eligible for the scheme should be selected.

We didn’t respond to the specific specialist questions, and a more effective use of our time being to focus being on a broader message around the importance on the capability of the UK to manage its plastic waste from manufacturing, and environmental perspectives on achieving sustainability and net zero aims.

We outlined the decline of the reprocessing sector, and we strongly recommended that the criteria to enable plastic waste and recycling to be in scope of BICS or any scheme that can reduce energy costs are reviewed and implemented.

To open dialogue, we stated we would welcome engagement to share more information and discuss and scope potential options.

For reference, we had dialogue with The BPF and INCPEN and will continue to liaise about the outcomes of the consultation.

Also for reference, information about BICS and consultation is outlined as follows.

BICS is designed to support companies operating within the eight growth-driving sectors identified in the Industrial Strategy, as well as the foundational sectors that underpin them. From 2027, the scheme will exempt thousands of qualifying businesses from costs associated with the Renewables Obligation, Feed-in Tariffs, and the Capacity Market. This could deliver electricity cost reductions of approximately 20–25%, helping to align Great Britain’s industrial electricity prices with European comparators.

The consultation seeks views on how eligibility should be determined for businesses within manufacturing frontier industries and their supply chains. Feedback will ensure the scheme is practical for businesses and delivers maximum impact on economic growth.

Find out more information on the scheme and eligibility for BICS here.