Retailers urged to cut packaging waste

Last updated at 11:46 14 November 2006


Retailers and producers must do more to cut the volume of food waste and packaging that ends up in household bins according to the Environment Minister.

Ben Bradshaw said shoppers were "bombarded" with unnecessary food wrappings.

He called on consumers to report examples of excessive product packaging to their local Trading Standards officers for investigation.

His comments followed a meeting with the UK's biggest grocery retailers to review progress made since last year, when they pledged to cut packaging waste.

So far, those 13 retailers have cut packaging waste by 35,000 tonnes, according to figures from the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).

WRAP wants them to hit a reduction target of 160,000 tonnes by 2008, rising to 340,000 tonnes by 2010.

Between 1999 and 2005 the total volume of packaging waste produced across the UK grew by 12 per cent.

Demographic issues such as the growth of single-person households and changing consumption trends are factors behind that increase, according to WRAP.

Mr Bradshaw said legislation would be considered if retailers and producers did not voluntarily cut food packaging and waste.

Addressing a press conference in London today, the Minister illustrated his comments with examples of excess packaging - such as four apples wrapped in polythene on a plastic tray.

He said: "It is important that people don't see recycling as the best option. It is better than throwing stuff away - but reduction is better still."

Describing the retailers' approach to cutting waste so far, he said: "Nearly all of them have announced good plans but over the next year we need to see the delivery of those plans. We need to see quantifiable reductions."

Mr Bradshaw urged consumers to leave "excessive and unnecessary" product packaging at the supermarkets for the stores to deal with.

Consumers should report cases of excessive packaging to Trading Standards officers for investigation, he added.

The UK's top grocery retailers last year pledged to "design out" packaging waste by 2008 and to make "absolute reductions" by March 2010. They also agreed to find ways of cutting food waste.

Food giants Heinz, Northern Foods and Unilever today added their signatures to the strategy, which is known as the Courtauld Commitment.

The 13 retailers which signed up to the strategy's launch last year were: Asda, Boots, Budgens, the Co-operative Group, Londis, Iceland, Kwik Save, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Somerfield, Tesco and Waitrose.

The Courtauld Commitment was developed in partnership with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly Government, the British and Scottish Retail Consortia and the grocery sector think-tank IGD.

WRAP is a not-for-profit company backed by Government funding.

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