Speaking at the launch of the Courtauld Commitment – a WRAP initiative to cut down on waste food and packaging – Dr Kevin Hawkins said: “Supermarkets have up to 30,000 product lines. Finding solutions for reducing packaging on each of these will be a lengthy process.”
The Courtauld Commitment – an agreement between WRAP and a consortium of 13 top retailers including Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose – is utilising WRAP's 8 million Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund.
Dr Hawkins said that the consortium had first seriously looked at sustainable packaging in 2001, but back then the issue wasn't as focussed as it has now become. The pressure to reduce costs of packaging he said were more heightened in a climate of higher rent and land prices, along with bigger outlays for labour, oil and other utilities.
Jennie Price, chief executive of WRAP said that other market drivers, such as the increasing price of oil, meant that manufacturers using plastic packaging were being more conscious of reducing volumes of plastic used for packaging.
Aims
The aims of the Commitment are to design out packaging waste growth by 2008; to deliver absolute reductions in packaging waste by March 2010 and to identify ways to tackle food waste.
WRAP estimates that half of the household waste bin is food or packaging. Environment minister Elliot Morley, who officially launched the Commitment today, said: “Packaging is one of the largest mail-bags we get at Defra and as people recycle more they want to know what is being done about packaging.
“The growth in packaging is seen by some people as inevitable but I don't agree. We have some of the best designers in this country to look at creating more sustainable packaging. I have asked WRAP and its retail partners to report back to me on this Commitment in 12 months,” added the minister.
The launch was attended by representatives from all the major retailers involved. Andy Duckworth, recycling manager for Tesco said that the company had already been considering packaging minimisation initiatives.
However, he said the money from WRAP would help Tesco move more quickly and employ people to specifically look at packaging issues.
Mr Duckworth said the company had been making some 'quick wins' in cutting back on packaging waste. “We have already reduced the wrapping on our pizzas, by taking away the box. The customers like it because they can see the product more clearly and it also means we reduce our costs.”
Most supermarkets say they are starting with their own range of products, which make up about 40-50% of what is on the shelves, before putting pressure on suppliers.
Food waste
Some concerns raised at the meeting were that WRAP was looking at packaging waste before food waste. One delegate from the Food and Drink Federation commented that the organisation would be advised to look at the two simultaneously to avoid situations for example where ready meal portions were made bigger to reduce packaging, but ended up creating more food waste.
Mrs Price said the organisation would be mindful of such issues and wanted to avoid transferring waste from one source to another.
Retailers said that the 8 million, which they have to apply for grants from for specific projects would not go all the way to tackling the food and packaging waste problem, but would help along with initiatives such as Business Resource Efficiency and Waste initiative.
James McKechnie, recycling manager for Sainbury's said: “We do not get too many letter from the public about packaging, but the money means we can look at using plastic packaging that can currently be recycled such as PET rather than PVC.”
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