The campaign also has support from The Co-operative Group. Commenting on the launch of Love Food Hate Waste, Scottish Co-operative Chief Officer, Ken MacKenzie, said:
As a responsible retailer, The Co-operative Group is constantly looking at how it can reduce waste and its impact on the environment, for example, by working with organisations such as the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) on reducing packaging waste. We welcome the Love Food Hate Waste initiative and urge consumers to follow the Scottish Waste Awareness Group's advice.
Retailers are also undertaking a number of other actions to help reduce the amount of waste that we generate.
Twenty four major retailers, brands and suppliers have joined the Courtauld Commitment, an agreement between the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and major grocery organisations, which will lead to new packaging solutions and technologies so that less waste ends up in the household bin. The agreement will result in real reductions in packaging and food waste.
In addition to this, a number of the major food retailers are running their own initiatives to reduce food, packaging and other types of waste.
ASDA
“ASDA has a specialist environment team that is continually looking at innovative ways to reduce its impact on the environment. Our goals are to reduce consumption of energy and greenhouse gas emissions, send zero waste to landfill by 2010, and deliver absolute reductions in packaging weight by the end of March 2010.”
The Co-operative Group
“At The Co-operative Group we recognise the need to develop our business in a sustainable manner. We aim to increase paper recycling and extend the Co-op/Oxfam mobile WEEE recycling scheme; investigate the increased usage of natural, biodegradable materials in packaging; and support efforts to ‘design-out’ packaging waste growth by the end of March 2008, deliver absolute reductions in packaging weight by the end of March 2010, and tackle the amount of food consumers throw away by the end of March 2010.”
Marks & Spencer
“Plan A is our five-year, 100-point plan to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing our business and our world. It will see us working with our customers and our suppliers to combat climate change, reduce waste, safeguard natural resources, trade ethically and build a healthier nation.”
Morrisons
“We aim to prevent waste through a sustainable waste management strategy that focuses on optimisation, reduction, reuse and recycling. All of our stores have the capability to recover cardboard and polythene, which are the largest contributors to waste produced in store. By 2010, we aim through a number of initiatives to recycle, recover or re-direct 50% of the current waste stream away from landfill against the 2005/06 baseline.”
Sainsbury’s
“Climate change is a key driver for us so reducing energy, packaging and waste are big priorities for our business. We aim to minimise consumer packaging and carrier bag use as well as the waste from our own business. We will reduce waste to landfill by 50% relative to sales by 2010, against a 2005/06 baseline.”
Tesco
“We’re committed to recycling, reducing and reusing wherever possible, and we’re helping out customers to do the same. We're on track to achieve our target to reduce the number of bags we issue by 25% by 2008. Plus we’re committed to reducing packaging by 25% by 2010.”
Waitrose
“Waitrose's longstanding objective is to reduce waste wherever possible, and to reuse or recycle more of what is produced. Waitrose packaging designers are continually looking at ways to improve packaging performance and, where possible, reduce packaging weight. Waitrose continually explores the environmental and technical feasibility of alternative materials, such as biodegradable packaging. Waitrose always aims to minimise food waste through accurate ordering, but where it arises, Waitrose is rolling out food donation to shops where FareShare can provide a collection service. Donated food is redistributed to charities throughout the UK working with homeless and vulnerable people.”
