UK’s Biggest Grocery Brands Join Forces To Cut Down On Packaging

Nine of the UK’s biggest brand owners and manufacturers, including Coca-Cola Enterprises, Nestlé and Cadbury Schweppes, are the latest to sign up to the Courtauld Commitment, which aims to reduce the amount of packaging waste that ends up in the household bin.

Today’s announcement from WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) means that 25 major grocery organisations have joined the Courtauld Commitment since it was launched in July 2005. The new signatories demonstrate the agreement’s growing impetus in the bid to reduce UK packaging waste. The Courtauld Commitment’s target is to reduce the 6.3 million tonnes of packaging reaching UK homes each year by at least 340,000 tonnes by 2010.

The new signatories, with a total annual turnover in excess of £9 billion, are:

• Britvic
• Cadbury Schweppes 
• Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd 
• Dairy Crest 
• Duchy Originals 
• Mars UK (formerly Masterfoods) 
• McBride 
• Nestlé UK
• Premier Foods

These new manufacturing signatories have joined all the major supermarket retailers, along with HJ Heinz, Unilever and Northern Foods, who joined last year. The combined effort of manufacturers and retailers is likely to accelerate the impact of the agreement.

Liz Goodwin, chief executive of WRAP, said: “This announcement is good news for the consumer and the environment. In addition to the obvious environmental benefits that reduced packaging waste brings, consumers will have less packaging to carry home from the supermarket and more space in their bins. Packaging reduction also delivers cost savings to business.

“With the addition of these new signatories, the Courtauld Commitment is an even more powerful vehicle for change, resulting in real reductions in packaging waste.”

Britvic’s chief executive, Paul Moody, said: “WRAP’s objectives clearly align with Britvic’s packaging innovation strategy. Consumers are looking for more and more ways to reduce waste going to landfill and this is an important issue for us as a manufacturer – allowing us to make a difference.”

Liz Goodwin added: “Another key aim for Courtauld is addressing the issue of household food waste. We throw away about 6.7 million tonnes of food each year – that’s one third of all the food we buy – and at least half of this could have been eaten. The involvement of the manufacturers provides us with an early opportunity to find solutions to this problem. In the coming months we will be launching a national consumer campaign to raise awareness of the food waste issue.”

In addition to the announcement of new signatories, a new method for measuring packaging waste reduction for Courtauld Commitment signatories is being introduced. This will give consistent reporting on packaging reduction and allow signatories to track their collective impact.

Under the Courtauld Commitment, WRAP works in partnership to develop innovative packaging materials, formats and technologies across the whole supply chain. These solutions may include lightweighting or “de-layering” packaging (i.e. cutting back on multiple layers or materials), increasing the amount of recycled content and introducing more recyclable packaging.

Supporting quotes from the new signatories

Britvic - Paul Moody, chief executive: “Britvic is delighted to be the first soft drinks company to sign the Courtauld Commitment with WRAP. WRAP’s objectives clearly align with Britvic’s packaging innovation strategy. Consumers are looking for more and more ways to reduce waste to landfill and this is an important issue for us as manufacturers – allowing us to make a difference.”

Cadbury Schweppes - Alex Cole, Corporate Responsibility Director: “Cadbury Schweppes are committed to supporting the Courtauld Commitment. Helping the public reduce the amount of packaging that they throw away plays an important part in taking action on sustainable use of resources and climate change.

“We are committed to using 100% recoverable or biodegradable packaging by 2010. We are also committed to ensuring 100% of our secondary packaging is recyclable. We have set a target of a 10% total reduction in packaging and 25% in seasonal/ gifting.

“Innovation in seasonal and gifting packaging is a key focus. Our 2007 Cadbury Buttons Easter Chick is a great example of this, using a mere 3.6% of the original packaging combined with innovative stacking has reduced materials and distribution impact as well as costs. Plans for Easter 2008 will result in 30% reduction in use of plastics and cardboard”.

Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd - Kevin Warren, managing director: “Coca-Cola Enterprises is delighted to support WRAP’s Courtauld Commitment and to work in partnership with WRAP to seek sustainable packaging solutions. We are committed to continuing our work to optimise and reduce the amount of packaging we use, while at the same time retaining our high standards of quality, performance and consumer satisfaction.”

Dairy Crest - Mark Allen, chief executive: “Dairy Crest is the first dairy company to pledge its support to the Courtauld Commitment. We look forward to working in partnership with WRAP and our retail customers to achieve the objectives set out in the agreement to eliminate packaging waste growth by 2008 and to reduce packaging waste by 2010."

Duchy Originals - spokesperson for the company: “Duchy Originals are delighted to be a signatory to the Courtauld Commitment. Our work with WRAP has already resulted in us achieving reductions in packaging waste and has enabled us to move closer to achieving our overriding objective of becoming a totally sustainable organisation.”

Mars UK - Fiona Dawson, managing director, Mars Snackfood UK: “We fully support the Courtauld Commitment and see strong synergies between these objectives and our own environmental policies. Packaging waste reduction is a key component in our sustainable packaging strategy.

“We joined the Commitment because we felt we could help WRAP achieve the government’s targets and because it fits perfectly with our own business strategies and environmental policies. We’re very excited about working with WRAP to make this commitment a reality.”

McBride - Andy Murfin, managing director: “We are extremely delighted to be the first major own-label household manufacturer to support WRAP’s Courtauld Commitment. The company is completely devoted to proactively addressing environmental issues of sustainability, in particular packaging waste. We have launched a number of key green initiatives across the company and will continue to look at ways in which we can innovate both with our packaging designs and production methods. Signing up to WRAP’s Courtauld Commitment is just the first step in a long term strategy to significantly reduce our carbon footprint and tackle the impact packaging waste can have on our environment.”

Nestlé - Alastair Sykes, chairman & chief executive, Nestle UK & Ireland: "Reducing packaging waste is environmentally responsible and makes sound business sense. This partnership will benefit the environment, reduce waste and improve efficiency, so it creates shared value for our business and the wider community."

Premier Foods - Claire Parlour, breakthrough innovations controller: "Premier Foods has proactively worked on packaging reduction for many years whilst ever mindful that the safety and quality of our food products remains our number one priority. Signing up to the Courtauld Commitment is a demonstration of our continued support to reduce packaging waste”.

Supporting statement from food industry

The Food and Drink Federation - Melanie Leech, director general: “FDF members are working proactively with their food chain partners to minimise packaging, reduce food waste and increase recycling as a sustainability priority. I am delighted to see that more of our members have now decided to support the Courtauld Commitment, joining Heinz and Unilever that did so last year.”