The government is pumping £8m into a new retail innovation fund designed to tackle household waste through smarter packaging initiatives.
Given that supermarkets were responsible for up to 40% of domestic waste, the vast majority of which went into landfill, they should be at the vanguard of the battle to reduce it, said Elliot Morley, environment minister.
While a certain amount of packaging was essential for food safety, protection and marketing, it was possible to merchandise goods effectively without using as much, he insisted.
“Take the Co-operative Group. They are looking at selling toothpaste without the boxes by using a display rack that allows
you to hang the tubes up and present them in an attractive way to the consumer.”
He added: “Waste is increasing by 1-2% a year, so we have to run faster just to remain standing still. The government is creating an opportunity through this fund for retailers to make a difference.”
The challenge for retailers applying for a share of the cash, which will be managed by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), was to reduce packaging without compromising their products or their brands, said Kevin Hawkins, director-general of the British Retail Consortium.
He said: “Consumers complain about overpackaging, but none of them will buy a product if its packaging is damaged. We need to find ways of reducing the amount of material without reducing its protective strength.”
WRAP chief executive Jennie Price said a lot of work had already been done to reduce unnecessary packaging. She said: “Look at Tetley teabags. They used to have a bag inside a box, which was then wrapped in sellophane. Now they come in a single resealable pouch. This is not about basic packaging but smarter packaging.”
Tesco corporate responsibility director David North said Tesco now recycled most of the cardboard and plastic in its distribution network but needed to do more work at the consumer level through smarter packaging and recycling.
Pippa Curtis, marketing manager at charity Waste Watch, said retailers like Tesco could also do more to engage consumers by attaching loyalty card points to products made from recycled materials.
The aim of the fund is to reduce the amount of packaging waste that ends up in landfill by 310,000 tonnes by March 2006.
Elaine Watson
Given that supermarkets were responsible for up to 40% of domestic waste, the vast majority of which went into landfill, they should be at the vanguard of the battle to reduce it, said Elliot Morley, environment minister.
While a certain amount of packaging was essential for food safety, protection and marketing, it was possible to merchandise goods effectively without using as much, he insisted.
“Take the Co-operative Group. They are looking at selling toothpaste without the boxes by using a display rack that allows
you to hang the tubes up and present them in an attractive way to the consumer.”
He added: “Waste is increasing by 1-2% a year, so we have to run faster just to remain standing still. The government is creating an opportunity through this fund for retailers to make a difference.”
The challenge for retailers applying for a share of the cash, which will be managed by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), was to reduce packaging without compromising their products or their brands, said Kevin Hawkins, director-general of the British Retail Consortium.
He said: “Consumers complain about overpackaging, but none of them will buy a product if its packaging is damaged. We need to find ways of reducing the amount of material without reducing its protective strength.”
WRAP chief executive Jennie Price said a lot of work had already been done to reduce unnecessary packaging. She said: “Look at Tetley teabags. They used to have a bag inside a box, which was then wrapped in sellophane. Now they come in a single resealable pouch. This is not about basic packaging but smarter packaging.”
Tesco corporate responsibility director David North said Tesco now recycled most of the cardboard and plastic in its distribution network but needed to do more work at the consumer level through smarter packaging and recycling.
Pippa Curtis, marketing manager at charity Waste Watch, said retailers like Tesco could also do more to engage consumers by attaching loyalty card points to products made from recycled materials.
The aim of the fund is to reduce the amount of packaging waste that ends up in landfill by 310,000 tonnes by March 2006.
Elaine Watson
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