Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Retail Push- 28 Supermarkets pledge to cut packaging's carbon impact by a tenth

Plastic spirit bottles and lightweight glass are on the shopping list as supermarkets commit to cutting packaging waste within three years. See excerpt from greenbusiness.com writer.

The retail sector's war on packaging and plastic bags has opened up on a new front today with the adoption of a range of new voluntary targets designed to reduce the carbon footprint of the packaging of supermarkets and food companies.

The targets have been adopted by 28 major retailers and food brands as part of phase two of the Courtauld Commitment, which was originally launched in 2005 with a view to halting the growth in packaging waste and reducing the amount of food waste produced each year.

The new goals require firms to reduce the carbon footprint of grocery packaging by 10 per cent on 2009 levels by 2012 through cuts in packaging weight, increased recycling rates and the use of more sustainable materials. They also set a target for cutting household food and drink waste four per cent by 2012 and reducing packaging waste in the grocery supply chain by five per cent by the same date.

A spokeswoman for waste advisory body WRAP, which is managing the Courtauld scheme, said participating firms would be required to provide packaging data to the agency so that it can then calculate the carbon footprint of its packaging. "The aim is to make sure it is not too onerous for firms to get involved," she said. "We will do the calculations for them."

The voluntary targets have been adopted by many of the UK's major food retailers and brands , including Asda, Cooperative Retail, Mars, Morrisons, Nestle, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Unilever, and Waitrose. See more... http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2258932/supermarkets-sign-waste-targets

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