Cereal Box Tops Tesco Consumer Poll for Most Eco-Friendly Pack

Tesco found that customers would do more “if options were available” – 77% would be willing to pay a refundable deposit, and 60% would use refillable containers.

29/06/07 The much-maligned cereal box is considered to be the most environmentally friendly form of retail packaging, according to research commissioned by Tesco.

According to the same research, plastic packaging poses the most problems for consumers. Tesco packaging project manager Andy Goldsmith shared the findings at the Packaging Innovation seminar theatre yesterday.

“Our customers simply don’t understand what it is they need to be doing with plastics,” he said.

Part of the problem is “too many confusing labels”, and harmonisation of product information, to avoid mixed messages coming from different retailers, would go a long way to helping consumers gain a better understanding of the role of packaging.

“People are focused on waste, rather than packaging sustainability, because the packaging is something they can see,” said Goldsmith. “There’s a common perception that they are actually paying for the ‘over’ packaging.”

Tesco found that customers would do more “if options were available” – 77% would be willing to pay a refundable deposit, and 60% would use refillable containers.

Tesco says the solutions will come from collaboration between retailers and industry experts.

“We understand the vital role of packaging, and clearly don’t know everything about it,” said Goldsmith. “We want to work together for the best results.”