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Packaging News is the leading publication in the packaging industry. Published monthly, Packaging News brings you all the latest industry news, comment, products and product coverage to keep you informed of the industry.
Sainsbury’s has promised to phase out PVC in its packaging, and will aim to use more environmentally responsible alternatives. A spokesperson for Sains-bury’s said: “Research has demonstrated a growing interest in packaging from customers. They are frustrated that food is often over-packaged, but their biggest concern is the use of plastic.” As a result, Sainsbury’s has decided to streamline its plastic usage. James McKechnie, Sainsbury’s recycling and resources manager, said: “We are asking our suppliers to pick materials that are regularly collected by councils for recycling. The only two types of plastic they currently want are PET and HDPE. Eighty-six per cent of councils collect these materials, and we want to make it easier for customers to recycle. We are trying to offer them a full, closed, national loop.” Sainsbury’s is also urging its suppliers to provide more compostable packaging from renewable sources (see Market Focus, page 50). It is now trialling fully compostable GM-free wrap – the first of its kind in the UK – on its organic apples and potatoes in 140 stores. If the scheme is successful, it aims to roll out the bags to the rest of its outlets and organic bagged ranges over the next six months. According to the retailer, this would mean saving 16.5m bags/year from landfill, or a reduction of 140 tonnes. Sainsbury’s is also launching what it describes as the biggest recycling initiative by a supermarket, equipping 347 of its stores with recycling banks. The move follows a successful Government-funded trial of vast recycling units at six of its London stores. Fifty outlets will be equipped with the units in the next year. McKechnie said: “We are the only retailer to do this on a national level, and invest our own funds into doing so. We are getting a contractor called Valpack to do the recycling on our behalf.” The recycling units will take normal packaging waste, as well as CDs and clothes. They have solar panels, which ensures they are lit up at night. Tesco has also trialled a similar unit, and plans to increase its recycling facilities. It has pledged to put £100m into a sustainable technology fund to explore green forms of energy and, from September this year, all its carrier bags will be biodegradable. But other major supermarkets are highlighting their environmental credentials too: Waitrose was the first to introduce a ‘bag for life’ in 1997; Marks and Spencer’s recent Look Behind the Label campaign focused on bio-degradable sandwich packa-ging (Packaging News, May 2006); and Asda announced a £40m investment in recycling last year.
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