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Consumers 'lack awareness' of packaging's role in the supply chain
Consumers need to be educated about the role packaging plays in the supply chain, industry experts told members of the House of Lords this week.
Dr Forbes McDougall, environmental manager for Procter & Gamble, told the Lords Science and Technology sub-committee on waste reduction that consumers did not consider how products reached them.
Unilever packaging sustainability director Stephen Carter pointed out that transit packs were not covered by the Courtauld Commitment, the agreement by retailers and brand owners to reduce packaging.
He also said transit packs often needed to be strengthened as a result of the lightweighting of primary packs, in order to provide greater protection.
And he said packaging technologists chose the material that "does the job" and it would be "crazy" to select a material just because it was recyclable.
Jane Bickerstaffe, director of the Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment (Incpen), said hard-to-recycle materials such as laminates were sometimes the best option to move goods from "A to B".
The panel, which also included Dr Robert Chilton, a member of the National Consumer Council board, appeared to agree with Carter's view that consumers' general perception of packaging design "needs to meet reality".
Bickerstaffe: 'hard-to-recycle' materials sometimes best
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Comments
Jorge Gonzalez - 12 March 2008
Lets make a deep breath and think about how companies develop packaging alternatives, those developments are "always" lead by cost drivers and no one wants to loose a pence.
With all the respect Unilever and other companies deserve, I would like to make a point on the responsability of consumers to know how the supply chain works, well there is not such a thing consumers are not interested at all and nevertheless have no power to influence the co's. The same way the companies are looking into shares, consumers are looking into value for money, they are not worried about the SC at all.
An environmental responsible answer from companies would be to launch an educational program making emphasis on the environment not on the supply chain!!!, it is responsability of the companies and the power they have to communicate these values.
When are we going to launch the "home recycling technology" just shoot !
regards
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