Retailers waste no time

UK retailers have halved the waste they send to landfill in the last five years culminating in less than a quarter of waste destined for the tip these days.

However, the results come in the same week that Sainsbury’s has been fined for using too much packaging on products.

According to A Better Retailing Climate Progress Report, published by the British Retail Consortium, British retailers have also achieved an 18% reduction in both energy-related emissions from buildings and carbon dioxide emissions from transporting goods in the last five years.

The BRC advised that to help retailers further their green credentials, they need assistance from the UK government. It said that supermarkets, for example, need colleges to train engineers to provide maintenance expertise and to encourage the development of low carbon-alternatives to hydro-fluoro-carbon refrigeration systems.

Last week Sainsbury’s was taken to court by Trading Standards officers in Lincolnshire, England, following claims that the supermarket has broken regulations which prevent manufacturers and retailers from using excess packaging.

The supermarket faces a fine of between £500 and £3,000, according to The Telegraph.

All supermarkets and major retailers will address the government this week on their efforts to cut packaging under the Courtauld Commitment.

Jane Parkinson, 20.09.2010