On the back of the successful showcase events held at UNTHA UK’s headquarters late last year, the question we asked in our December poll was: Did you know there is new data protection regulation looming in 2018?
The topic of the upcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was first raised in a presentation delivered by Simon Ellin from the UK Security Shredding Association. He spoke to our delegates about the parameters of the new legal framework and how it could affect businesses throughout Europe when it comes into force.
Set to apply in the UK from 25 May 2018 – regardless of the country’s position within the EU – the legislation aims to offer greater safeguarding mechanisms when it comes to data protection, especially in the growing age of the digital economy.
It is set to represent a reform of current somewhat outdated laws which have been in place for over 20 years, and it means business! The GDPR will apply to all ‘controllers’ and ‘processors’ of data – thus the vast majority of UK organisations – with non-compliance resulting in potential fines of 4% of global turnover (up to £20m).
So are firms equipped to navigate GDPR?
In truth, only time will tell. But the first step to being able to tackle something is being aware of it, hence our December poll question.
Now, the results are in, and the findings are decidedly mixed.
Whilst a reassuring 41% of respondents are clued up on the new regulation, we found there is still work to be done to educate the remaining 51% of business owners and their employees, before next spring.
Commenting on the poll outcome, UNTHA UK’s chairman Chris Oldfield said: “The GDPR is obviously of great interest to a number of people in the waste and recycling sector, not least because confidential matter needs to be securely handled and destroyed when it comes to disposal.
“But awareness needs to spread much greater than our industry, because the legislation applies to the management and storage of sensitive information too. I would encourage people to visit the Information Commission Office website as soon as possible, to find out more. The GDPR needs to be planned for, so that steps can be taken to ensure compliance before it is too late.”
If you’re a confidential waste handler keen to ensure your security shredder provides a safe pair of hands, contact our sales team for a no obligation quote by calling 0845 450 5388 or emailing sales@untha.co.uk.
If you didn’t attend our 2016 showcases, you can catch up on all the presentations here.
Finally, if you’ve got 10 seconds to spare, why not vote in our latest poll? The question this month centres upon the likelihood of the UK meeting its 2020 recycling targets – let us know your thoughts.