Asda pledge to inform public

Monkman, speaking at a Packaging Innovation seminar, also said that the retailer would be talking to customers about the value and role of packaging.

“The education of consumers is vital, and the reasons for a particular packaging choice is something that will be communicated,” he said.

Monkman described the strained, but ultimately mutually beneficial, relationship between retailers and the packaging industry as “often neglected and always hard work for both sides”.

“Where would retailers be without convenience and microwaveable foods, RFID technology and sustainable materials?” he said.

“And where would the packaging industry be without the drive for innovation and development, and huge growth of the retail sector?”

Faced with demands from consumers to reduce packaging, Monkman said supermarkets had the difficult task of “balancing sustainability and profitability”.

“Consumers care about recycling, climate change and deforestation, but almost half are unwilling to pay a 10% premium for sustainable packaging. We need to make sure that ‘sustainable’ is also ‘affordable’ to let customers make the right choices,” he said.

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