An independent assessment published by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) shows the total amount of packaging on food products sold in Britain is the same now as it was in 2006, despite substantial increases in the quantities being sold.
In 2005, WRAP the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and leading food retailers signed the ‘Courtauld Commitment’, in which they committed to a WRAP target to slow packaging growth to zero by the end of 2008. This has already been achieved despite the UK population rising by an average 300,000 people a year and food sales rising by 1.8 per cent/year over that time.
Jane Milne, BRC director of business environment says: “This is a spectacular achievement by retailers. The UK population and total food sales have risen substantially in two years yet retailers are not using any more packaging now than they were then. This demonstrates what can be achieved by voluntary measures. The next big gain will be in securing the same change across the whole grocery supply chain.”
