London, UK: Supermarkets must take urgent action to reduce excessive packaging or Britain will fail to meet its recycling targets, according to a warning today from the Local Government Association (LGA).
The organisation says that new research it commissioned and published shows that up to 40 per cent of packaging in a regular household shopping basket cannot be recycled.
The research was undertaken by British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) Social Research, which purchased a range of common food items from eight retailers. Analysis found that local retailers and market traders produced less packaging and that more of it could be recycled, but the larger supermarkets trailed behind.
The research revealed that five per cent of the total weight of shopping baskets was made up of packaging.
Cllr Paul Bettison, chairman of the LGA's Environment Board, said:
”People are working hard to increase their recycling rates, but their efforts are being hamstrung by needlessly over-packaged products on sale in supermarkets. We all have a responsibility to reduce the amount of waste being thrown into landfill, which is damaging the environment and contributing to climate change.
'Many supermarkets are taking action to cut back on excessive packaging, but this research proves there is an urgent need to do more. Councils and council tax payers are facing fines of up to £3 billion if we do not dramatically reduce the amount of waste thrown into landfill.”
The most environmentally friendly retailers have low levels of packaging a high proportion of which is recyclable.
The LGA says that the supermarket with the heaviest packaging was Lidl's (799.5g), while the contents of the Marks & Spencer basket had the lowest level of packaging that could be recycled (60 per cent).
Asda was the best performing supermarket, with packaging weighing 714g, 70 per cent of which was recyclable. However the best overall were purchases from the market, with packaging weighing 710.5g, 79 per cent recyclable.
Figures show that Tesco had by far the least weight of packaging in the basket of 29 food items at 684.5g, though of this only 62% was recyclable.
Though recycling rates in Britain are improving through the efforts of householders and the progressive improvement of local authority recycling services, the LGA has warned that these efforts to meet EU recycling targets will not succeed unless supermarkets do more to reduce excessive packaging.
The LGA says that councils should work with retailers to guide consumers while they are shopping, in making their choices.
The research project
The research is part of the LGA’s ongoing ‘War on Waste’ campaign and is to monitor the amount of food packaging and composition of that packaging, including whether the packaging is recyclable.
Twenty-nine common food items, representing a regular shopping basket were purchased from eight retailers (six supermarkets - ASDA, Lidl, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco - a local high street and a large market).
The total weight of the product was recorded together with the total weight of the packaging and the component parts of the packaging were also weighed to arrive at the proportion recyclable.
An estimate of the volume of the food in relation to the packaging was also provided, to consider cases of excessive packaging. A photographic record was kept throughout the study.
Cllr Bettison added:
"Councils want to work constructively with supermarkets to look at solutions to the problem of excessive packaging. There are many examples from our research of how retailers are making it easier for their customers to recycle, including the use of paper bags and removing layers of packaging. However, we have to question the necessity and desirability of shrink wrapping vegetables like peppers and broccoli.
"Evidence from other countries has shown that when local authorities work with supermarkets to educate consumers, there is a significant increase in the sale of products with less packaging. It is important shoppers are actively encouraged to consider the environmental impact of their purchases."
The amounts of waste food and packaging have been hot topics in recent times including local protests at supermarkets through the Women’s Institute.
However the two issues are in fact interrelated as much food, without packaging to protect it, would deteriorate more rapidly.
Clearly there is a balance between packaging minimisation and product protection, especially in the case of food.
Packaging industry response
The Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment (INCPEN) says that food waste levels are shocking but no-one is doing more to reduce them than the packaging industry, in fact under-packaging is ten times worse than over-packaging. Supermarkets and their suppliers are reducing packaging but, importantly they are using enough packaging to prevent food waste which is a much bigger problem.
With over 6 million tonnes of household food waste arising annually, good packaging helps prevent this by keeping food fresh for longer. Packaging also aids purchase of food in portion sizes that suits householders needs, according to the packaging industry organisation.
INCPEN considers that the finding that 5% by weight of the shopping basket is packaging, shows that packaging saves far more waste than it generates though weight isn’t the only measure of environmental impact. The carbon footprint is also important, as is using recycled content, though this means that the packaging needs to be heavier to do the same job.
Some packaging has to weigh more than its contents, for example champagne needs to be packed in a bottle that is 95% of the total weight to contain the gas pressure and survive the journey to the consumer. However some packaging is much lighter with, for example, butter wrapping representing only 1% of the product’s weight.
Jane Bickerstaffe, Director of INCPEN says:
"If products are damaged or spoiled as a result of inadequate packaging, all the energy and materials in those products are lost.
"If we didn’t have packaging, landfills would be a great deal fuller, with damaged goods and spoilt food. Used household packaging occupies less than 3% of landfill space and companies are working to reduce it further.
"It’s a shame that the LGA’s survey did not follow on and look at how much food arrived home in good condition and how much ended up as waste. After all the whole point of packaging is to make sure the food is safe and wholesome all the way through to when it’s consumed.
"It would also have been helpful if the survey had explained that far from being “rubbish” the packaging saved far more waste than it generated. It should also have explained that recycling has its own environmental impact because energy and materials are used to collect, sort and clean the items for recycling. There is always going to be some packaging and other waste that shouldn’t be recycled because it will have a negative environmental impact."
Packaging watchdog
Jane Bickerstaffe continued
"The good news is - UK recycling rates are increasing all the time thanks to the efforts of councils and we use less packaging per person than many other European countries."
"That said, there are some examples of excessive use of packaging. A proven way to get rid of them is to establish a multi-stakeholder group to act as forum for consumers’ complaints and provide companies with technical advice. Join INCPEN’s campaign for a Packaging Watchdog."
Key facts from the LGA research
- The total weight of packaging per basket ranged from 684.5 grams to 799.5
grams, with an average weight of 748.5 grams.
- The proportion of waste that was recyclable ranged from 60% to 79%.
- There were some items on the shopping list that appeared to be somewhat
over-packaged, such as shrink-wrapping on peppers and broccoli, or excessive
layers of packaging, or packaging that was much larger than the contents of the
product and had low volume measures, for example, cornflakes, meat,
tomatoes and crisps.
- Often packaging of fruit and vegetables comprised plastic bags although one
retailer did provide paper bags. This is an approach that could be taken by more
retailers to improve the proportion of their waste that is recyclable.
- The majority of packaging on the meat products was non-recyclable.
- The packaging on a fresh pizza varied between retailers from a simple
cardboard box or a cardboard base and shrink-wrapping - both good approaches
- to a pizza with a plastic or polystyrene base, shrink-wrapped and contained in
a box. While the cardboard box is recyclable, the number of layers in these
cases was perhaps excessive.
- The plastic tubes provide sufficient packaging for the cookies but in some cases
a tray was also part of the packaging, providing further waste in an additional
layer of packaging that could be considered unnecessary. Retailers could also
focus on reducing the size of the packaging in relation to the volume of the
product, to reduce the quantities of waste produced.
- The market set a good example by providing a loaf of bread in a paper bag,
whilst the seven other retailers had wrapped the bread in a plastic film or plastic
bag.
- The baked beans, jam and milk came in the same form of packaging from all
retailers: a can for the beans, a glass jar for the jam and a plastic bottle for the
milk. Apart from the tops on the jar and milk bottle, the packaging for these
products were all recyclable.
Key facts from INCPEN
- Of the total energy used in the food chain, 50% is used in food production, 10% on transport to the shops and retailing, 10% to make the packaging and the remaining 30% used by shoppers to drive to the shops and store and cook food.
- The UK uses less packaging per person than most EU countries – 171 kg per capita in 2004 compared with 188 kg for Germany, 198 kg for the Netherlands and 200 kg for France. (Source: EU Commission).
- The amount of packaging used in the UK has increased by less than 4% since 1999 (8.5 to 8.8 million tonnes, in 2004 – excluding wood). This increase is more than accounted for by factors outside industry’s control such as the increase in population and demographic shift to more people living alone. In the same period, GDP has grown by 17% and household expenditure by 20%.
- Packaging has grown less in the only 2 member states (UK, France) that enforce the Essential Requirements Regulations than in all the other “old” pre-2004 14 EU countries. (Source: European Commission)
- Eliminating packaging from fresh fruit and vegetables can lead to increased product waste. A study that compared apples sold loose with four in a shrink-wrapped tray showed that there was 27% more waste (bruised apple and used packaging) from orchard to home from those sold loose. (Source: ERM)
- Cucumber Growers' Association tests show that unwrapped cucumbers are unsaleable after 3 days; just 1.5 grams of plastic wrapping (and 0.4 grams of paper label) keeps them fresh for 14 days and untouched by dirty hands.
- Most supermarkets offer a choice of pre-packed and loose fruit and vegetables – consumers can choose what suits their needs and preferences. It’s environmentally beneficial to use a few grams of packaging to prevent damage to food. In the UK packaging used for fresh produce accounts for less than 0.9% of all sales packaging, equivalent to 0.1% of household waste.
- Almost 60% of used packaging was recycled in 2006 – 5.5 million tonnes - up from 27% in 1998. Since 1998 companies have spent £700 million on increasing recycling. (Source: DEFRA).
Further information
LGA
The Local Government Association promotes the interests of English and Welsh local authorities. These represent over 50 million people and spend around £74 billion a year on local services www.lga.gov.uk .
An overview of the LGA report can be found here, and the full report can be downloaded from the LGA website.
INCPEN
The Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment is a research organisation, which draws together an influential group of companies who share a vision of the future where all production, distribution, and consumption are sustainable.
- It aims to:
ensure that policy on packaging makes a positive contribution to sustainability
- encourage industry to minimise the environmental impact of packaging and packaged goods and continuously improve packaging
- explain the role of packaging in society.
With climate change the top priority, INCPEN member companies have agreed a statement of packaging’s role in sustainable production, distribution and consumption including a vision of the future. www.incpen.org