Helping industry improve packaging and reduce waste

Food and packaging waste is generated both by households and within the food and grocery chain. According to WRAP we throw away 6.7 million tonnes of food every year in the UK roughly a third of everything we buy. Food and packaging waste makes up a considerable proportion of total waste.

IGD provides packaging and waste related factsheets, articles and case studies on our free ‘Sustainability’ web-area.

We also continue to undertake a number of activities to help the food and grocery sector better understand and deal with packaging and food waste.
 

Informing the packaging debate

IGD has provided WRAP with factual industry information to help them understand the food and grocery supply chain. We are currently working with Defra on assessing food waste within the food supply chain.

While we are not a signatory to the Courtauld Commitment, we are used as a sounding board by WRAP and Government departments.
 

Finding out what shoppers think about packaging and waste

With resources becoming scarce and consumers more aware of food and packaging waste, IGD has been working to help inform industry about consumer attitudes. 

Packaging and Recycling – Addressing Shopper Concerns report
Beyond Packaging: Food Waste in the Home report

Conferences, meetings and seminars bringing the industry together

We have also run packaging and waste conferences. These have brought leading retailers, manufacturers and opinion formers together to explore the issues around packaging and food waste, to discuss new ideas and solutions that the industry can adopt.
 

Working with Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) to share best practice and drive packaging improvements

IGD’s work through ECR's Retail Packaging Workgroup is committed to reducing landfill waste by delivering operational and environmentally efficient packaging whilst supporting product availability and ease of shopping.

ECR has published many best practice guidelines relating to packaging for the industry.

See ECR UK's best practice reports