Campaigners call for action on reusable packaging and cutting food waste
Campaigners and businesses are calling for the widespread adoption of reusable packaging as well as action to cut food waste across the grocery sector.
Reuse experts on Tuesday released research which suggests that adopting reusable packaging for 30% of goods in the UK grocery retail sector could deliver £136 million in annual savings for producers.
The packaging extended producer responsibility regulations (Perp), which came into force in January, require producers to pay for the management of packaging waste.
The report, commissioned by sustainability consultants GoUnpacked, found that producers could save between £314 million and £577 milllion annually in overall system costs compared to single-use packaging, accounting for the costs of transitioning.
It also suggests that shifting to reuse packaging could reduce both the products' carbon emissions and the waste from packaging materials previously used by 95%.
The research was developed with input from an advisory panel made up of stakeholders such as the Environment Department (Defra), Biffa, Tesco, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap), Innovate UK, and WWF.
It explored multiple product categories, such as coffee, ready meals and shower gel, using various reuse scenarios to provide an evidence-based picture of the potential impacts of reuse.
A 30% reuse target was found to be achievable by converting just 18 priority product categories, using 30 standardised repackaging types.
The report also outlined recommendations for industry and the Government to collaborate on a transition plan to reach the target by 2035, by co-ordinating retailers, supply chain logistics, waste management and local authorities.
Rob Spencer, Co-Founder of GoUnpackaged, said: 'It's time to move on from debate and focus on the facts: Reuse works.
'Our study shows that switching just 30% of goods to reusable packaging is a huge opportunity for producers and retailers to win – environmentally, financially, and even societally, creating jobs and reducing waste.
'That's why we're calling on the industry and Government to work together and take action to move towards 30% reuse, starting now. There's no excuse to delay tackling the single-use packaging crisis any longer.'
In a joint statement, the advisory panel said: 'The modelling results show, for the first time, an evidenced view of reuse working at scale in the UK for grocery retail, enabling industry and government to make insightful decisions about how to move forwards to co-create the necessary transition to reuse in the UK.
'We look forward to bringing the value chain together in June to kick-start the discussion of the next practical steps towards wide-scale reuse in the UK.'
It comes after campaign group Wrap and Tesco called for urgent action to reduce global food loss and waste as part of a collaboration to tackle the issue across global supply chains through a series of initiatives.
The two organisations cited the World Economic Forum, which estimates that food loss and waste also costs the global economy 936 billion US dollars (£693 billion) a year, when more than 783 million people go hungry every day, and a third of humanity faces food insecurity.
Tony McElroy, Tesco's head of circularity campaigns, said: 'We remain focused on driving forward action across our entire supply chain and in collaboration with our key partners as we accelerate progress to halve our food waste.'
Catherine David, chief executive of Wrap, said: 'The need to reset our global food system is imperative as our population grows and the climate changes.
'Food security will become a priority for governments as the real impacts of climate change bite harder in coming years, and tackling waste is a key step they must take.'
Wrap also warned that governments are falling far short when it comes to outlining their plans to cut emissions in line with UN targets, known as nationally determined contributions.
It found that just 12 of the 195 countries to attend the UN Climate Conference, Cop29, in November had committed to reducing food loss and waste in their plans.
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