Its key targets for the DIY sector are as follows:
• To reduce packaging by 15% by the end 2012 from a 2007 baseline, covering all packaging on both own-label and direct-sourced products;
• To reduce waste to landfill from back of store and distribution centres by 50% by the end of 2012;
• To help customers recycling more, with a measurement approach for this expected to be agreed by the end of 2009.
The signatories to the agreement – Wickes, B&Q, Homebase, Argos, Focus and Henkel – include the five top home improvement retailers by market share, and their combined share of the market totals 45%.
Focuses
WRAP said the initiative's focuses will include reducing packaging thought improved design and dealing with “problematic” packaging and product areas by aiming to come up with less bulky, more recyclable alternatives.
The Commitment will also aim to target systems that reduce product damage and encourage wider adoption of re-useable packaging, as well as looking at how adopting concentrated products or refillable systems could help cut packaging.
Following yesterday's (September 24) signing of the agreement, the waste and recycling minister, Dan Norris, said: “We need to say goodbye to unnecessary and excess packaging across the board, and it's great news that such a significant industry sector has signed up to play its part.
“Just like food waste and carrier bags, which might grab the headlines more often, reducing waste in the DIY sector is really important and this agreement will see a significant contribution to reducing waste to landfill. It's great to see that the DIY industry is taking its responsibility in the war on waste seriously,” he added.
His sentiments were echoed by WRAP's chief executive Liz Goodwin who said the Defra-funded body “applauds the leadership” the signatories had shown.
She added: “This collective pledge by the UK's leading home improvement retailers signals a concerted and consistent approach to delivering significant reductions in packaging and waste to landfill – while helping customers make positive product choices and recycle more.”
Packaging Strategy
The Commitment comes in the wake of the June 2009 publication of the government's Packaging Strategy (see letsrecycle.com story) which advocated the use of voluntary agreements to achieve packaging optimisation.
Last year, it was revealed that the Courtauld Commitment had succeeded in its initial aim of halting packaging growth in the grocery sector (see letsrecycle.com story), but some of the agreement's best-known signatories have come under pressure for not making more information about how much packaging they produce public (see letsrecycle.com story).
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