Moving Forward From Zero Growth

Liz Goodwin, the chief executive of the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), has something to celebrate, zero growth. Historically, the amount of packaging used for grocery products has grown every year. However, in 2007 the same amount of packaging was put onto the market by the major retailers and brands as they used in 2006. This is despite increased sales. This is the first reported occurrence of zero growth achieved anywhere in Europe.

From the WRAP blog, Moving Forward From Zero Growth;

"This is a fantastic achievement but what I really want to see is actual reductions - that is going to be even more challenging. Our next target under the commitment is to see real reductions by 2010.

If you're thinking that you haven't seen much evidence of this work to reduce packaging, it's possible that you're not aware of it. There are lots of examples of products now being packaged in lighter bottles or cans and things being wrapped in thinner films. Much of this is very difficult to spot. However, there are other changes which we can see - for example:

the move to concentrates for washing liquids; or even
some new cleaning sprays which include a refill sachet.

As we move to some of the more visible changes, we as householders are also going to need to change the way we do things. Are we going to remember to use the refills or will we forget and just go and buy a new container? If we want to see real reductions in packaging then we are all going to need to engage and adapt. I hope we will - the gains are certainly going to be worth it.

The other area covered by the Courtauld Commitment is food waste - we need the retailers to help us all waste less of the food that we buy. We waste a staggering 6.7m tonnes of food waste every year. The retailers can help by giving us more advice on storage, working on portions sizes and giving us recipe ideas. I'll write more about our work on food waste in a future blog.

I want to ensure that WRAP continues to work closely with the retailers over the coming years to build on the progress already made so we can make an even greater difference - achieving real reductions in the quantity of packaging we use as a society and the amount of food we waste.

And I, for one, am looking forward to seeing far less packaging in my bin."

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