BARCODING LABELLING & PACKAGING
reduce food and packaging waste. Yet the supermarkets must re-evaluate their strategies and commitments and pose these questions. Does utilising plastic packaging lead to less overall food waste? Is packing a necessity everywhere? As customers, we all adapted when plastic bag levies were introduced by using reusable bags. When they have more options, consumers are more adaptable. Although we have little control over how much we buy as customers, almost all condiments, fruits, and vegetables come in plastic packaging. But customers would get more for their money if supermarkets encouraged them to use refillable solutions for other products and supplied some items loose.
According to WRAP’s most recent investigation into the relationship between plastic packaging and food waste, selling uncut, fresh veggies loose has a significant potential to reduce food waste and plastic packaging. Because of bulk packing, people often buy more than they need, making food waste worse. If stores stop using single-use plastic, customers can buy what they need, and less plastic will become waste. The study concentrated on five common household wastes of fresh produce: apples, bananas, broccoli, cucumbers, and potatoes. It shows that by allowing consumers to buy the right amount for their households and doing away with “Best Before” dates on packaging, selling these five goods loose may cut household food waste by 100,000 tonnes yearly. Thus, questioning the need for plastics and decreasing their production in the first place is necessary for the solution to a world awash in plastic waste. Additionally, many companies have voluntarily committed to increasing the proportion of recycled material in their packaging, such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy commitment. Nonetheless, businesses frequently employ voluntary industry activities as a postponement tactic to evade enforced restrictions.
(EPR), establishing a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), and the coordination of household recycling collections for the widest range of materials. Furthermore, there is much room for guiding best practices through voluntary initiatives. Retailers can take further action by creating their packaging portfolios and creating best-in-class recyclable packaging. There is unquestionably a demand for innovation in own-label pack design, and this demand will only increase as retailers work to create packaging that is consistent with their environmental commitment.
Several actions will allow the supermarkets to reach the Basket’s outcomes, especially if they are supported by reinforced government policy. Thus this effort must be continued.
Moving forward, retailers may be able to take further steps to make sure packaging is prepared for changing recycling practices and consumer awareness. Packaging value chains should invest in UK recycling infrastructure to support recycling efforts and ensure that packaging is recyclable and recycled. This objective will be accomplished in part through the Extended Producer Responsibility programme
Nearly every link in the food supply chain potentially has a negative impact on the environment. Thus, it is crucial to stress that supermarkets must collaborate with other players in the packaging value chain, including businesses, NGOs, consumers, national and local governments, and the waste management sector. To meet the growing demand for environmentally friendly product packaging without sacrificing functionality, the whole supply chain of the packaging industry must work together to find creative and innovative solutions. Ecoveritas believes this shift is conceivable, but we must consider the entire packaging supply chain in this transition and not just a standard grocery basket. Accurate data is the cornerstone of sustainable packaging, and we are here to support businesses that want to be a part of this transition. We can successfully assist you in understanding your packaging data and minimising the environmental impact of your packaging owing to our in-depth knowledge and experience of the global packaging industry. Our Packaging Compass offers bespoke services that can assist you in determining the sustainability of your present packaging and delivers data-driven KPIs to improve the performance of your packaging. Please speak to one of our advisors today on +44 (0)1865 502176 or email us at info@ecoveritas. com to find out how we can help you to take the complexity out of packaging compliance.
Apurva Munja, Junior Consultant Ecoveritas
www.ecoveritas.com FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS | MAY 2023 21
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