Brakes has vowed to step up efforts to cut the thickness of packaging on own-label products, replace older refrigeration with eco-friendly systems and switch to greener transport.

In 2008, it reduced the thickness of packaging on 160 bagged products by between 10% and 25% without affecting quality, it revealed in its latest Corporate Social & Environmental Responsibility report.

It planned to extend the move to further products this year and was also evaluating ways to move products in shrink-wrapping instead of fully-enclosed transit cases, it said.

Working with suppliers, it had saved 180 tonnes of packaging material last year, it said, revealing that it was also working on making its fleet of 1,700 delivery vehicles as green as possible. Older vehicles with one engine to power the vehicle and a second for on-board refrigeration systems would be replaced by single-engine vehicles and more than half the fleet had already been upgraded.

A trial to improve driver performance using an onboard system called FleetBoard had been added to 160 vehicles and speed limiters were being trialled on 10% of vehicles. Brakes saved more than 900,000 food miles and 430,000 litres of diesel in 2008 by backhauling products.

"As a major player in foodservice, Brakes has a responsibility to set best practice precedents," said marketing director James Armitage. "Our commitment to CSER is deep-set and evident in our achievements in sustainable sourcing, reducing food miles, operating more energy-efficient premises and switching to alternative packaging solutions."

Other achievements listed in the report include reducing electricity usage from 75,000MWh to 73,200MWh since January 2008, saving 967 tonnes of CO2, and increasing recycling from 10% to 40%.

Brakes said it was also on target to meet the Food & Drink Federation's Climate Change Levy Scheme targets by the end of the year.

See green wholesalers, p50

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