A ‘trade-off’ has to be made between recycling and the choice of packaging used for food and drinks products, the sector’s trade body warned today.
The cautionary note comes in a packaging checklist published by the Food & Drinks Federation (FDF) which also contains a foreword from resource minister Dr Therese Coffey.
To access the FDF’s sustainability checklist report, click on the image above
In the document, published just 24 hours after the resource charity WRAP advised councils to see black packaging trays as “general rubbish” (see letsrecycle.com story), Dr Coffey hailed the work being done by retailers and packaging firms to make recycling “easier” for households.
The minister declared that: “It is so encouraging to see food and drink manufacturers, packaging companies and retailers working together on the Wrap Framework for Greater Consistency in Household Recycling, sharing a vision to make recycling at home significantly easier for the wider public.”
The “Packaging checklist for food & drink business” produced by the FDF with support from Incpen, the Industry Council on Packaging and the Environment.
The packaging checklist aims to help companies choose and optimise their packaging systems in order to continuously improve the sustainability of their value chain. The Federation said that it “provides practical guidance for companies to improve resource efficiency at all stages of a packaged product’s journey while ensuring that the essential functionality of the packaging is not compromised. While including references to relevant regulation and guidance, the checklist also encourages companies to go above and beyond legal requirements.”
The checklist also said the FDF represents the first “deliverable” under its Ambition 2025 programme to minimise the impact of used packaging associated with food and drink products and to encourage innovation in packaging technology and design that contributes to overall product sustainability.
Trade off
But, much is made within the checklist on the need for a trade-off between recycling and the role of packaging.
This is reflected in a section over whether packaging should go for incineration with energy recovery or recycling and composting. The checklist emphasises that “whether the material is suitable for recycling or another form of recovery will come down to a trade-off between all the considerations that go into the choice and design of packaging for any given product.”
“It is so encouraging to see food and drink manufacturers, packaging companies and retailers working together on the Wrap Framework for Greater Consistency in Household Recycling, sharing a vision to make recycling at home significantly easier for the wider public.”
Therese Coffey
Defra
On a positive note, Dr Coffey said: “We have made great progress in boosting recycling rates and making more packaging recyclable, and we continue to see exciting innovation in this area. But there is still much more to be done to increase sustainability across the supply chain – from producers and into the home.”
Helen Munday, director of food safety, science and sustainability and chief scientific officer, Food and Drink Federation, said: “This guidance will help businesses choose and optimise their use of packaging in ways that will contribute to a net improvement in the use of resources across the value chain. This improvement can be achieved whilst continuing to ensure that food safety and quality requirements are not compromised. We encourage all food and drink operators to use it.”
Jane Bickerstaffe, Director of INCPEN, said: “The checklist will help companies improve packaging for food and drink and other products, make it more consumer-friendly and make supply chains more resource-efficient. Supply chain companies are more aware of, and responsive to, environmental concerns than many businesses. This checklist will help them demonstrate that responsiveness to the public.”
Related links
The post Food sector warns of packaging and recycling ‘trade-off’ appeared first on letsrecycle.com.
Source: letsrecycle.com Packaging
