Born to serve

Packaging compliance manager at wholesaler 3663 First for Foodservice, Susan Tilbury explained to Packaging Today how a big company with quite different needs to the retail sector is reducing and optimising, recycling and otherwise managing post-consumer packaging.

“3663 is committed to continuously improving the packaging chain and this is addressed by the packaging compliance manager based within the Quality Assurance department by looking at all specifications for packaging with our suppliers and discussing any opportunities with them to minimise or change the packaging to reduce the amount or complexity.

“There is also an internal systenm, which allows depots that handle the packaging to feed back any issues or ideas which could improve or reduce packaging. Depot visits also provide the opportunity to look at how the packaging performs and is used, which can then be used for further discussion with suppliers.

“All depots have recycling stations for packaging materials removed at depot level which is managed by the Environment Group at Nottingham depot. In addition to this, our Environmental Management System was officially certified in 2003, making 3663 the first - and only - national foodservice company to achieve a corporate ISO 14001 certified environmental management system in every site.

“3663 does not sell direct to consumers but to businesses and commercial operations. In order to assist these customers with recycling, the packaging of our own brand products is labelled with the material type and whether it contains recycled material and can be recycled after use.”

What can the packaging industry do for a company such as 3663 to further its green ambitions?

Ms Tilbury: “Many of the current initiatives led by Defra, WRAP, BRC and IGD are aimed at the retailers and home consumers. And much of the data collected is from Local Authorities and therefore not applicable to businesses that deal with commercial waste.

“In terms of waste, there needs to be a more consistent system across the country which applies to both household and commercial packaging waste to ensure that the amount recycled is as high as possible. In addition, it would be good to see packaging suppliers and innovators coming up with ideas suitable for the foodservice area, which is more about functionality and ensuring the product gets to its destination in good condition, rather than aesthetics.”

To which sources does the company turn for reliable advice on lightening the environmental burden of your packaging requirements?

“3663 turns to Defra, Wrap, BRC, Incpen, Veolia, Valpak and IGD for advice, and we also talk to suppliers of materials to discuss our packaging requirements,” says Ms Tilley. “The packaging press and work done by initiatives such as Faraday are also a source of reliable information.”

Are upstream customers helping to drive change, as in lowering carbon emissions via packaging choices or transport distribution of packaged product?

“Increasingly our customers are beginning to request more information about the packaging and carbon footprints of products. Currently, work is being carried out with one of our largest customers to investigate where we can reduce packaging or increase the amount of recycled packaging used. 3663 also monitors the kilometres per package delivered, and we now use telematics to investigate more thoroughly the routes taken by our delivery trucks to allow better routing to reduce this figure.

In terms of reducing carbon, the most significant undertaking has been 3663’s waste oil recycling scheme, which turns customers’ and suppliers’ waste cooking oil into biodiesel to power our fleet, thus reducing the carbon emissions and removing us from the food versus fuel debate.

“In packaging, our most significant undertaking has been to ensure that all corrugated cases contain a minimum of 60% recycled material, and that outer cases have been removed from products where the primary pack is robust enough to withstand the supply chain.

Sustainability

Suppliers and retailers alike recognise and are driven by the need for sustainability, says Anne Sutton, of Solo Cup Europe, a UK manufacturer with foodservice and retail divisions.

At a recent IGD conference on packaging and product resource efficiency, Solo’s vice-president, Innovation, Environment & Packaging heard that the Sainsbury’s chain is looking closely at the causes of waste. At store level, they are getting ‘down and dirty’ putting heads into skips to make waste ‘a transparent thing and creating a sense of accountability’, says commercial services director Neil Sachdev. And carbon labelling is a common focus of all UK supermarkets.

“Solo is already working in these areas as we believe as a manufacturer of packaging we have this responsibility,” says Ms Sutton. “In my view, the foodservice industry is a little way behind the retail industry as regards sustainability, as its players are hampered in their desire to recycle without the downgrading of the source material. But we know the will is there.”

The problem is communication. “The struggle is to engage with waste contractors who appear reluctant to accept that many cups and containers could be recycled,” remarks Ms Sutton. “However I understand that WRAP has widened the scope of its investigation into the possibilities for the collection and recycling of waste generated by out of home consumption.”

An IGD conference workshop, which Packaging Today also attended, on Designing for Quality so easily could have been titled Designing out Waste. “It reinforced the decision made by Solo to appoint an innovation manager, experienced in and with a passion for sustainable design,” thinks Ms Sutton.

“Increasingly, consumers are questioning the recyclability of packaging and we need to provide our customers with packaging that, while stylish and eye catching, is nonetheless recyclable and capable of preventing food waste during journey to the point of eating.”

On the good side, the UK’s first food grade plastics recycler is improving the environmental aspirations of the foodservice sector.

“As a fellow contract customer of Closed Loop Recycling, it was heartening to learn from a giant such as Coca-Cola that this company also values a supply of local UK produced food grade rPET. It was made clear that Coca-Cola gains from the possibilities this material provides for down-weighting, whilst retaining the required pack strength.”

Move to paperboard

IGD conference delegate Adam Robinson,head of packaging at UK packaging development company Adelie Food Holdings, says: “The foodservice sandwich market has been steadily evolving its packaging from plastics to paperboard, which will classify it as recyclable. Now, even though it can be recycled how much actually is? This is a major challenge for the Food to Go market. We can design packaging to be recycled. However, the facilities with the technology do not currently exist to sort and recycle this at a commercially viable cost.

“There is still a great trend towards environmentally friendly packaging. This includes both primary and transit packaging. At Adelie's foodservice division, we deliver the vast majority of our products in returnable crates to eliminate waste and reduce costs.

“Since all packaging trends in the food service industry tend to follow what is happening in retail, we are now seeing accreditations such as FSC gaining the recognition and significance it deserves. Therefore it is expected packaging weight and then carbon footprint will follow.”

On food waste, Mr Robinson says: “Since the evolution of the sandwich wedge from plastics to card for aesthetic reasons, there have been concerns over the shelf life of a sandwich. However, Adelie has been working tirelessly with various packaging suppliers to improve this and will be introducing new packaging formats throughout 2010 which will address this problem.

And consumer-friendliness is a further challenge: “With so much development resource being invested in improving the environmental impact of Food To Go packaging, consumer focused packaging development has taken a back seat. At Adelie, we are undertaking some ground-breaking research focused on the ergonomic use of packaging to help identify on the move solutions for the next generation of consumers.