Wrap calls on industry to be more resource efficient

Wrap gathered 250 delegates from the world of brands, retailers, packaging manufacturers and local government in London to discuss resource efficiency opportunities for UK businesses.

Benn, who gave the keynote speech, quoted Foreign Secretary David Miliband by telling delegates that we’d been “sucking on the planet like an orange rind”.

Benn confirmed that next year the government will be consulting on the possibility of banning certain recyclable materials from landfill as was announced last month.

“We are dropping really valuable things in the ground,” he said. “As I see it, why on earth are we sticking in the earth food waste? Why are we doing this with glass and aluminium cans?”

Morrisons’ chief executive Marc Bolland spoke of the retailer’s “great taste, less waste” campaign, which has seen the company work with Writtle Agricultural College to find out the benefits of packaging, for instance on peppers.

Conference chair John Humphries questioned Bolland on retailers’ handling of waste.

“Supermarkets have a very thin margin, 3-5% so if they start wasting a lot of thing they’ll be dead,” said Bolland.

Packaging Federation chief executive Dick Searle questioned Wrap’s continued focus on food waste – packaging being the only business named in Wrap’s new logo.

Searle told Packaging News: “Packaging is less than 1% of the resources we use, what’s the plan for the other 99%?”

Wrap is to take a “broader approach” to packaging when it takes charge of a newly-unified group of seven resource quangos next year, its head of retail told Packaging News earlier this month.

Next year Wrap will reveal its plans for Courtauld Two, the voluntary agreement on packaging reduction for brand owners and retailers.

To watch the video of the event click here

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