UK Consumers Call for Renewable Packaging – Study

The research results follow the publication of the Government’s 2030 food strategy (Food 2030, 8 January 2010), which calls for food to be “produced, processed and distributed…in ways which use global natural resources sustainably”.

15 Jan 2010 --- More than 90% of UK consumers think that food and drink packaging should contain renewable materials, with the main reason being the importance of using sustainable resources, according to new research by the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE) UK.

The survey of 1001 adult supermarket shoppers also revealed that 68% think it is important to know what their food and drink packaging is made from, while 71% would like to see a more detailed evaluation of the environmental performance of the products they buy.

The research results follow the publication of the Government’s 2030 food strategy (Food 2030, 8 January 2010), which calls for food to be “produced, processed and distributed…in ways which use global natural resources sustainably”.

While ACE UK members welcome the strategy’s focus on sustainable and responsible sourcing of food, they have expressed disappointment that this same approach is not reflected in the Government’s packaging strategy, published in June last year.

“The Government’s new food strategy rightly calls for a low carbon food system which uses global natural resources sustainably and responsibly. However, this approach is not reflected in the packaging strategy, which focuses on post-use measures to recycle high carbon impact materials –  rather than a whole life approach that starts with the raw materials used to make the packaging in the first place”, comments Richard Hands, Chairman of ACE UK.

“Furthermore, while we know that consumers want less wasteful packaging that is easy to recycle, our research shows that consumers also want packaging that contains renewable materials to help save depletion of non-sustainable resources. This demonstrates that the packaging strategy not only appears to contradict the food strategy on the significant contribution that renewable materials can make to a low carbon economy, but it  is also out of step with consumer opinion.

“We will continue to ensure that the importance of responsibly-sourced renewable materials  is recognised in future strategies”, he said.

The concept of renewable materials is about sourcing resources that can be replaced or replenished at a rate equivalent or greater than their use, with minimal environmental damage. Increasing the share of renewable content in packaging can help to lower its carbon footprint. Cartons are made primarily from wood fibre; a natural, renewable resource, are widely recycled and highly transport-efficient, which means they are  repeatedly shown to be a low carbon packaging choice in life cycle studies across the world.