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Packaging And Design

Waitrose To Halve Packaging By 2016

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Waitrose To Halve Packaging By 2016

Waitrose has pledged to reduce its packaging by half within three years.

The British retailer has already made significant changes to the packing for all 49 products within the 'Menu from Waitrose' range, with narrower product sleeves and the introduction of aluminum trays for ready meals. 

The company's 190-strong 'Good to Go' range has also been relaunched, with increased 'window' space on sandwiches alone bringing about a total packaging reduction of 11 tonnes per year. Pre-printed bags for fruit portions have also been developed, meaning that without the need for a label, the product's weight is reduced by 60 per cent. 

The retailer also hopes to remove the plastic tray in packs of pork and lamb, which it is expected to bring about a reduction of 38 tonnes of packaging a year. Waitrose is a signatory to the voluntary Courtauld Commitment, an agreement which commits the retailer to reduce packaging and food waste. It managed to achieve its target to divert all shop food waste from landfill six months early. The company is also part of the John Lewis partnership, which has seen a commitment to the collection and recycling of all plastics waste from John Lewis & Waitrose locations each year, which can then be recycled into products such as plastic planks, boards and sheeting.

The reduction in packaging goal is one of the 12 pledges in the Waitrose Way commitments, which launched last week on 2 May. Commenting on the announcement, Karen Graley, Waitrose Packaging and Reprographics manager said, "We are always working hard to reduce packaging where we can, to decrease the waste reaching our customers' bins and ensure they can recycle as much as possible." She added, "Re-launching a range is a fantastic opportunity to do this and cutting our packaging by nearly 100 tonnes per year is a great result to have achieved on our journey to halving packaging by 2016."

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