Environment

The voluntary Courtauld Commitment to reduce packaging is too vague and progress against its targets too difficult to measure, according to the majority of respondents to an exclusive survey by Packaging News.

More than 80% of respondents said Courtauld encouraged retailers and brand owners to focus on quick wins, rather than look at the most suitable packaging for each product, while more than half said it should be replaced by statutory targets.

The voluntary commitment by retailers and brand owners to reduce packaging was launched in 2005 by the Waste & Resources Action Pro-gramme (Wrap). It includes three aims: to design out packaging waste growth by 2008, deliver absolute reductions in packaging waste by 2010 and identify ways to tackle food waste.

Nearly two-thirds of the 100-plus respondents to the internet survey thought Wrap should refocus Courtauld on packaging optimisation and recycled content, rather than reduction.

However, almost 70% said it had encouraged retailers and brands to take action they would otherwise have avoided, while 59% said Wrap had chosen the correct targets.

With food waste higher on the agenda following the launch of Wrap's Love Food Hate Waste campaign, 58% said food waste should be the main focus of Courtauld.

Packaging Federation chief executive Dick Searle said the benefit of Courtauld was that it provided a forum to discuss packaging. However, he said its focus should always have been "optimisation, not minimisation".

In response, Wrap said Courtauld had the "flexibility to allow businesses to adopt solutions that best suit them".

The future focus of the agreement would be discussed soon at a meeting between signatories and government ministers, it added.

Main survey findings
*  84% said Courtauld had made packaging a high-profile issue for brands and retailers
*  59% said Wrap chose the correct targets for Courtauld
*  93% said Courtauld should include waste from the foodservice sector
*  54% said the voluntary scheme should be replaced by statutory targets