Memorandum submitted by the British Retail
Consortium (Waste 41)
SUMMARY
1. The retail sector is supportive of the
Government's Waste Strategy and is working to deliver significant
reductions in resource use, packaging and food waste, improvements
in recycling and, when appropriate, to promote the use of compost
on agricultural land.
2. The retail sector generates around 4.5% of
all waste and is working both to reduce its own waste and to support
customers in reducing and recycling theirs. There are many misconceptions
about the importance of packaging in reducing food wastage and
the relative environmental impact of plastic and paper bags. The
sector is working to maximise waste reduction and minimise overall
impacts.
3. Key achievements, going beyond statutory requirements,
by the retail sector include:
— Action to reduce the environmental
impact of carrier bags by 25% by 2008;
— Ambitious packaging reduction targets
of up to 25% as early as 2008 from a number of major retailers;
— Widespread provision of recycling
facilities on supermarket premises;
— Trialling of portable battery take-back
schemes in advance of legislation taking effect;
— Use of recycled materials in plastic
bags, bottles and thermoformed trays;
— A large number of pilots and investigations
to enable greater recycling, composting and other waste reduction
strategies in the future.
4. However, retailers can only contribute
to solving part of the waste problem. Customer behaviour is important
in determining outcomes and, while retailers promote recycling
and responsible consumption, other parties must also support consumers
by making it as easy as possible for customers to "do the
right thing".
5. Local authorities have an important role
in providing recycling and re-use facilities for a wide range
of products and in home collection recycling. Action by and in
schools should help to achieve a culture shift through wider society.
Manufacturers have a responsibility to take back durable products
at the end of their lives.
INTRODUCTION
6. The British Retail Consortium is the
lead trade association for the UK retail sector and the authoritative
voice of the industry to policy makers and the media. We represent
the whole range of retailers, for the large multiples and department
stores through to independents, selling a wide selection of products
through centre of town, out of town, rural and virtual stores.
7. The retail sector is acutely aware of the
need to reduce waste in order to contribute to lower greenhouse
gas emissions and to reduce landfill volumes and natural resource
usage. The sector, which represents 6% of GDP, generates around
4.5% of all waste.
8. The BRC and its members are undertaking
the following initiatives to reduce their own waste and to help
customers to reduce theirs:
— Retailers representing 90% of the
UK grocery market are signatories to the Courtauld Agreement,
which will lead to new packaging solutions and technologies to
reduce retail-related household waste;
— Individual retailer initiatives to
promote the use of bags for life and incentivise lower use of
carrier bags;
— Careful design of food packaging
to reduce wastage;
— Encouraging consumer recycling, and
committing to use a higher proportion of recycled material in
packaging;
— Take-back of electrical goods;
— Trialling of battery take-back schemes;
— Working with regulators and stakeholders
on safe use of compost;
— Reduction of landfill usage.
9. This response covers those aspects of
Defra's Waste Strategy for England that most affect the retail
sector or where the sector can contribute significantly in delivering
the desired improvements.
PACKAGING
10. Retailers support the Government's objective
to decouple waste growth from economic growth and to put more
emphasis on waste prevention and re-use.
11. Defra statistics show that packaging contributes
18% of household waste which represents about 3%—by weight
and volume—of landfilled waste. Packaging volumes in the
UK have increased by less than 4% from 8.5 million tonnes in 1999
to 8.8 million tonnes in 2004. Household consumption rose by 20.5%
over the same period.
12. Improvements in packaging design and
in production techniques have resulted in significant reductions
in material use:
— One pint glass milk bottles are 65%
lighter than in 1940;
— 275ml glass beer bottles are 61%
lighter than in 1970;
— One litre plastic detergent bottles
are 58% lighter than in 1970;
— Cardboard box outer packs are typically
14% lighter than in 1970;
— 400 gram metal food cans have been
reduced by 39% in weight since 1950;
— 330ml steel drinks cans have been
reduced by 63% since 1950.
13. Marks and Spencer are reducing non-glass
packaging by 25% by 2012 and Tesco aim to reduce all packaging
by 25% by 2010. Wickes is working with WRAP to identify opportunities
to reduce packaging waste on DIY products. Argos has trialled
re-usable transit packaging for upholstered furniture, and B&Q
has conducted similar trials on kitchens. John Lewis has undertaken
a feasibility study on re-usable packaging for large kitchen appliances.
FOOD WASTE
14. Retailers are acting to minimise waste
from food products. Packaging plays an important role in reducing
food waste through preventing damage and avoiding more waste than
generated by the packaging. In the UK, packaging used for fresh
produce accounts for less than 2.6% of all sales packaging, equivalent
to 0.4% of household waste. Under-packaging has ten times the
environmental impact than the same amount of over-packaging. Once
in landfill, food breakdown produces methane, which is 23 times
more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
15. A new edition of the BRC's Global Standard
for Packaging and Packaging Materials, is due to be launched early
in 2008. Principally aimed at achieving high standards of food
hygiene and reducing spoilage, changes include improved auditor
qualification verification. A high priority is placed on senior
management commitment and continual improvement is required through
comprehensive management reviews. Certification against this new
standard will begin in the summer of 2008.
16. A number of retailers have already taken
action to reduce food packaging:
— Sainsbury has cut plastic waste from
ready meal and organic food packaging, moving to compostable packaging
materials, and set a 25% packaging reduction target for fresh
produce by May 2008;
— ASDA has set a 25% reduction target
for its own label food products by 2008. Salad bags have been
redesigned, reducing the thickness of plastic by 15%, and cardboard
sleeves have been removed from a selection of ready meals;
— Waitrose has cut packaging waste
growth by 15% in 2006 and set a target to keep future packaging
levels below those of 2002;
— Marks and Spencer has implemented
new film sealing systems for salad products, keeping produce fresher
for longer and reducing the amount of plastic used;
— Somerfield is redesigning its ready
meal packaging to extend shelf life and cut food waste.
17. Most supermarkets do offer both pre-packed
and loose fruit and vegetables, providing consumers with choice
where they would prefer to purchase unpackaged foods. ASDA is
trialling the withdrawal of 60 pre-packed items of fresh produce
in two stores in north-west England.
18. The recent addition of nine major food
manufacturers to the Courtauld Commitment will assist in waste
reductions beyond own brands. Retailers welcome this collaborative
approach with suppliers.
CARRIER BAGS
19. As acknowledged in the Government's
Strategy, the UK Retail sector is taking action with the Government
and WRAP to reduce the environmental impact of carrier bags by
25% by the end of 2008. This will be achieved by:
1. reducing the environmental impact of each
individual carrier bag;
2. encouraging customers to significantly reduce
the number of carrier bags they use and to re-use bags;
3. enabling the recycling of more carrier bags
where appropriate.
20. The sector will review achievements
by the end of 2008 together with the Government and WRAP to determine
how further reductions could be achieved by 2010 to deliver real
reductions in environmental impact.
21. Action by individual retailers includes:
— Marks and Spencer's pilots of charging
for carrier bags, using the proceeds for environmental projects;
— Sainsbury's reduction of the raw
plastic content of carrier bags by 43% and provision of in-store
plastic bag recycling or take-back for online deliveries;
— Waitrose's trials with "green
tills" which were carrier bag free in 14 stores as well as
an entirely bag-less store, together with increasing the recycled
plastic content of their carrier bags;
— Wickes' introduction of a smaller
carrier bag and reduced bag thickness;
— Aktfast, a small retailer in Lincolnshire,
is participating in a buying group initiative to reduce the use
of HDPE carrier bags, promoting bio-degradable bags and bags for
life.
22. Paper bags have a higher environmental
impact than equivalent plastic bags through greater consumption
of water, emissions of greenhouse gases and eutrophication of
rivers and lakes. Paper bags take up 4-5 times more volume than
equivalent plastic bags, resulting in an increase in the number
of deliveries to store (with consequent emissions, congestion
and social impacts) and greater impact on landfill where consumers
do not recycle bags.
WEEE AND TAKE-BACK
SCHEMES
23. Many retailers participate in the Valpak
scheme negotiated through the BRC which funds the development
of WEEE collection facilities throughout the UK. This meets their
obligations under the WEEE Directive to provide for the take back
of electrical and electronic equipment. Retailers' contributions
are calculated on the basis of their sales of electrical products
in 2006. Categories of products covered include household appliances,
IT equipment, lighting, electrical and electronic tools, toys,
leisure and sports equipment.
24. Retailer take-back trials for (portable)
batteries were originally launched in Eastleigh and Swansea at
the end of October 2006 and were later extended to Perth &
Kinross. The trials include 33 stores from a consortium of retailers
including Home Retail Group, B&Q, DSG International and Tesco.
Householders can take their unwanted batteries to drop-off points
in participating stores. To date over 6 tonnes of portable batteries
have been collected and materials recycled.
RECYCLING
25. Retailers support the Government's objective
of extending the recycling culture by ensuring facilities are
available in places they visit away from the home. Local authority
recycling collection schemes also have a very important part to
play in making it easy for customers to recycle, particularly
those without private transport or who chose to use shopping delivery
services.
26. UK recycling rates are catching up fast with
other European countries. Almost 60% of used packaging was recovered
in 2005—up from 27% in 1998 (at a cost to industry in 2005
of £105 million) and this is increasing year on year (Source:
Defra). A significant amount of packaging could be recycled but
is currently sent to landfill often due to a lack of facilities
in most UK local authority areas.
27. Many retailers provide facilities for
recycling a wide range of packaging at larger stores, adding convenience
and avoiding additional journeys. These facilities are invaluable
in local communities, particularly where customers cannot recycle
through their local authority's schemes, and demonstrate retailers'
commitment to help customers be responsible and environmentally
conscious consumers.
28. Recent trials, co-ordinated by WRAP
and involving Tesco and Sainsbury's, set out to radically change
the image and capacity of recycling facilities by improving their
appearance, locating them closer to the store and providing consumer
incentives. These have increased recycling levels. ASDA launched
the "Big Recycle" initiative with the television character
Bob the Builder to encourage greater recycling of cardboard packaging,
glass, cans, mobile phones, printer cartridges and old clothes
by customers. Other recycling initiatives include:
— Tesco has committed to labelling
products to show whether they can be reused, recycled or composted;
— ASDA recovered and recycled 140,000
tonnes of cardboard and 5,500 tonnes of plastic packaging in 2006,
having opened four purpose built recycling facilities the previous
year;
— Argos encourages customers to recycle
their old catalogues by using local kerbside collection schemes
or returning them to their nearest Argos store for recycling;
— Alliance Boots has increased recycling
levels from its manufacturing and retail operations from 44% in
2002-03 to 55% in 2006-07;
— Wickes stores recycle cardboard packaging,
timber, metal wastes and aggregates. The company is currently
considering extending plastic packaging recycling from distribution
centres to stores.
29. The BRC and its members are also in
the process of developing an initiative in partnership with WRAP
that will produce a consistent approach to the provision of recycling
information on consumer packaging across the UK retail sector.
The ultimate aim is to help more consumers recycle more packaging,
more often.
30. Research shows that consumers are increasingly
frustrated that they do not know which packaging can be recycled,
or where they can find local facilities. Consumers are looking
for better on-pack information to enable them to understand and
act as, at present, a number of symbols and messages are used
to encourage recycling.
31. Marks and Spencer and Alliance Boots
have participated in trialling the use of up to 50% recycled plastics
in bottles and thermoformed trays, providing an outlet for recycled
products. Sainsbury launched a bottled water product earlier in
2007 that uses 25% post-consumer recycled plastic and intends
to extend this once material and manufacturing capacity becomes
available. In 2008 Wickes will be increasing the proportion of
recycled content in their carrier bags.
COMPOSTED FOOD
WASTE
32. Retailers recognise the environmental
benefits of making wider use of composted food waste and support
the application of compost to agricultural land as long as scientific
evidence is available to ensure food crops are safe for consumption
and animal health is taken into account.
33. The BRC is working with WRAP, the Assured
Food Standard and Quality Meat Scotland to address some of the
gaps in the current scientific knowledge that need to be filled
before composting is feasible on a much wider scale. McDonalds
and a number of leading supermarkets are also interested in exploring
anaerobic composting. ASDA diverts 70% of the waste from its Canford
Heath store to composting.
DISPOSAL
34. The retail sector fully supports the
need to dispose of waste responsibly and is compliant with the
Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations
2005. In 2006 the sector accounted for about 2.5 million tonnes
of the UK's packaging waste obligation.
REDUCING LANDFILL
USAGE
35. Retailers fully support the Government's
objective of reducing commercial landfill usage and are working
to deliver this through the initiatives outlined above. Alliance
Boots has reduced the proportion of waste going into landfill
from 54% in 2002-03 to 40% in 2006-07. Home Retail Group has achieved
a reduction from 78% landfill usage in 2004 to a targeted 60%
in 2007.
36. Retailers are very mindful of landfill targets
and the landfill tax escalator and will continue to work to reduce
waste to landfill while maintaining a competitive cost base. Retailers
segregate waste for recycling and recovery to meet pre-treatment
requirements—indeed some small retailers such as Aktfast
undertake separation and on-site treatment of waste packaging
despite being below the 50 tonne/£2 million thresholds.
British Retail Consortium
November 2007
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