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Packaging & Waste - Case Studies

See examples of how food & grocery companies are reducing and recycling packaging, improving and lightweighting packaging design, and working to send less waste to landfill.

Latest case studies

Alara Wholefoods - 80% Recycling Rate

Alara Wholefoods, an organic muesli manufacturer, aims to send nothing from its manufacturing site to landfill by the end of 2010.

Alara Wholefoods - Reducing Packaging by thinking outside the box

Alara Wholefoods - Reducing Packaging by thinking outside the box

Alara Wholefoods has prevented 7.2 tonnes of waste from ending up in landfill through improved packaging design of its "Sustainable Range" of mueslis.

Arla Foods - Fresh Milk Packaging Weight Reduction

Arla Foods - Fresh Milk Packaging Weight Reduction

Arla Foods is reducing the amount of packaging it is sending to landfill, resulting in some significant savings.

Asda - Carrier Bag Amnesty

With Asda responsible for 2.2bn carrier bags in the UK each year, the retailer has pledged to reduce the environmental impact of the carrier bags by 25% next year. Bag recycling points, encouraging customers not to use bags and changing behaviour are all issues being tackled.

Asda - The Packaging Challenge

Asda's progress towards sending Zero Waste to Landfill by 2010 has significantly reduced their stores’ waste footprint. Now the retailer is working on reducing the amount packaging waste customers generate by supermarket shopping, such as excess packaging and plastic bags.

Booker - Waste reduction

Over the past 10 years, Booker has been recycling packaging waste, reducing the volume of waste sent to landfill, and is also looking at finding ways to convert waste to energy.

Convert2Green and 3663 - Turning waste into fuel

Convert2Green and 3663 - Turning waste into fuel

How Convert2Green use recycled waste vegetable oil from 3663 suppliers to produce a range of bio-fuels for use in vehicle fleets and to drive heat and power systems. This sustainable fuel reduces 3663's carbon emissions by 85%.

Dairy Crest - The world’s first recycled milk bottle

Dairy Crest - The world’s first recycled milk bottle

Dairy Crest has achieved a world first by creating the world’s first recycled milk bottle, a food contact approved material that is made from post consumer waste.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) – Ribena 100% Recycled bottles

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) – Ribena 100% Recycled bottles

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has switched to using 100% recycled PET for its Ribena bottle range, helping to reduce its carbon footprint and the amount of packaging waste produced.

Heinz - Reducing weight, reducing cost: lightweighting can ends

Heinz - Reducing weight, reducing cost: lightweighting can ends

With 5 billion cans sold every year in the UK, Heinz and WRAP have worked together to reduce the costs and environmental impact of their manufacture. The new Easy Open End cans have saved 1,400 tonnes of steel, are lightweight, and improve fuel efficiency.

innocent drinks – measuring their ‘carbon footprint’ from farm to fridge to the recycling bin

innocent drinks – measuring their ‘carbon footprint’ from farm to fridge to the recycling bin

innocent measured their ‘carbon footprint’ from farm to fridge to the recycling bin. Armed with data about the carbon involved in each step of the business, they knew that the key areas to start reducing emissions were increasing the recycled content of the PET bottles.

Marks & Spencer and Closed Loop Recycling - Office Recycling

Marks & Spencer and Closed Loop Recycling - Office Recycling

In March 2008 Closed Loop Recycling and Marks & Spencer launched an office recycling and collection service as part of the ‘Food to Go’ re-launch of sandwiches, salads and deli snacks to help reduce packaging waste.

Mars Drinks – ‘Thirsty for Change’ & offering sustainable drinks to the workplace

As part of its Thirsty for Change programme, Mars Drinks committed to achieving significant and challenging environmental targets by 2010, including sourcing 30% of its drinks from certified sustainable schemes.

Nestlé - Packaging reduction

This case study shows how Nestlé UK and Ireland has a target to reduce packaging by 10% by 2010, against a 2006 baseline. Nestlé is committed to reducing waste in both packaging and food, with more than half of Nestlé’s packaging in the UK being recyclable.

Nestlé and FareShare 1st - Waste Reduction

Nestlé and FareShare 1st - Waste Reduction

Nestlé have been working with the charity FareShare to redistribute surplus food to communities who need it most. This project has reduced surplus going to landfill and provided nearly 200,000 meals.

Nestlé fuels factories with coffee ground

Nestlé fuels factories with coffee ground

Nestlé has diverted 1.24m tonnes of coffee grounds from landfill over 20 years by recycling coffee grounds, a by-product of instant coffee manufacture. Reliance on gas is greatly reduced.

OPRL Ltd. - The On-Pack Recycling Label

The On-Pack Recycling Label scheme aims to deliver a simpler, UK-wide, consistent, recycling message on both retailer private label and brand-owner packaging to help consumers recycle more material, more often.

Packaging Minimisation, a Supply Chain Initiative

Packaging Minimisation, a Supply Chain Initiative

Sealed Air Cryovac, Northern Foods and Marks and Spencer have collaborated to make a new kind of packaging for ready meals which is recyclable and reduces manufacturing wastage.

Produce World Group - Managing non-financial information to drive sustainability

Produce World Group - Managing non-financial information to drive sustainability

Produce World Group embarked on an ambitious strategy to embed sustainability into its operations, utilising a dedicated online platform to meet KPIs on areas including energy, water and carbon intensity, waste, health and safety and resource use.

Robert Wiseman Dairies: Zero Waste to Landfill

Robert Wiseman Dairies: Zero Waste to Landfill

Case study showing how Robert Wiseman Dairies is working towards achieving zero waste to landfill from all its 23 sites

Sainsbury’s - Cuts plastic from packaging in environmental revolution

Sainsbury’s - Cuts plastic from packaging in environmental revolution

Sainsbury's is aiming to remove 150 million plastic trays and bags from landfill every year with its ‘home compostable packaging.’ Instead of plastic, the packaging is replaced by the use of maize, sugar-cane or starch based packaging.

Sainsbury’s – Zero waste to landfill

Sainsbury’s currently generates around 56,000 tonnes of food waste every year. Thanks to a new initiative started last year, their vision is to send zero waste to landfill, and they are aiming to re-process all food and non-food waste by the end of 2010.

Sainsbury's - Improving customer communication to help reduce packaging & food waste

Sainsbury's - Improving customer communication to help reduce packaging & food waste

Sainsbury's is helping its customers reduce both food and packaging waste by improving and standardising its on-pack labelling. The new labels clearly show how food should be stored to improve shelf life and reduce wastage.

Tesco - Packaging reduction

Tesco has a target to reduce packaging weight by 25% on own-label and branded products by 2010 from a base line of 2005. So far the project has saved over 80,000 tonnes of packaging weight.

The Co-operative Food - Light-weighting bottles

The Co-operative Food - Light-weighting bottles

The Co-operative Food recently developed a series of projects aiming to reduce the amount and weight of its own-brand packaging. By working closely with its own-brand suppliers, the initiative is expected to save hundreds of tonnes of glass each year.

The Co-operative Food - Naked cucumbers

How packaging-free 'naked' cucumbers are helping The Co-operative Food’s business reduce waste by an estimated eight tonnes of plastic every year.

Unilever - Reducing waste through innovative design

Unilever - Reducing waste through innovative design

Unilever's new Small and Mighty concentrates help the environment by using 40% less packaging compared to other dilute counterparts, and are lighter and more consumer friendly.

United Biscuits - Reducing Packaging

United Biscuits reduced its packaging waste by 6,800 tonnes in 2006 by adopting a reduce, recycle, reuse philosophy. This reduces the amount of packaging reaching consumers.

United Biscuits - Reducing Waste

United Biscuits is reducing its carbon emissions and energy use by recycling more waste. Reducing non-food waste generated by 10% each year means that by 2015 UB will send no waste to landfill.

Waitrose – Reducing waste

Waitrose is diverting waste away from landfill by reducing, reusing, recycling or recovering energy from all their commercial waste and packaging.

See all sustainability case studies

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Submit a case study

	To submit a case study for publication and show how your company is working to improve sustainability, please contact Toby Pickard on 01923 851989 or email: tobypickard@igd.com.