Packaging plays hell with the environment, they say. And while recycling helps to ease the burden, still a quarter of all rubbish put out by households is retail packaging. Last month the French parliament began moves to ban all non-biodegradable packaging from 2010. The plan has sent a shockwave through the British industry, parts of which claim they are already over-regulated. Laws already require producers to minimise packaging but Brussels wants to stiffen regulations further against what has become a booming industry.
Fearing the effects of more legislation, some of the biggest retailers, such as Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Morrisons, have put commercial rivalries aside to strike a Kyoto-style voluntary commitment to cut packaging waste.
The government has chipped in £8m to stimulate innovation in the sector.
