Packaging
Each year Premier Foods spends approximately £250 million on packaging which includes the purchase of 1.2 billion steel cans.
Packaging
In 2009, the Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) published its packaging strategy entitled ‘Making the Most of Packaging’.
The DEFRA strategy set out a clear direction for packaging policy over the next ten years. The overall aim of the UK Governments’ packaging strategy is to minimise the environmental impact of packaging, without compromising its ability to protect the product.
Our Issue
As one of the UK’s leading food manufacturers, and a major user of packaging, we believe that by making the right packaging choices, we can reduce the Carbon equivalent (CO2e) intensity of our packaging, while delivering a reduction in the use of valuable natural resources.
We are also keen to help our customers to recycle more and ensure that at the end of their useful life, packaging materials are valued as a resource. In 2010, we continued to roll out the use of a generic suite of on-pack recycling symbols developed by the Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP). We took the decision to include these symbols, on all our brands, to ensure that consumers are equipped with the key information to help them recycle more packaging, more often.
Our Response
In 2010, Premier Foods signed up to the Waste Resources Action Programme’s (WRAP) ‘Courtauld Commitment’ phase 2 targets, and by doing so, agreed to support WRAP in the delivery of the following targets:
• Packaging - to reduce the weight, increase recycling rates and increase the recycled content of all grocery packaging, as appropriate. Through these measures, the aim is to reduce the carbon impact of this grocery packaging by 10%;
• Household food and waste - to reduce UK household food and drink wastes by 4%; and
• Supply chain product and packaging waste - to reduce traditional grocery product and packaging waste in the grocery supply chain by 5% - this includes both solid and liquid wastes.
Outcome
Premier Foods recognises the need to reduce the weight, and increase the recycled content, of all the packaging we use. We are committed to reducing the Carbon equivalent (CO2e) impact of our packaging by 10% by the end of 2012, against a 2009 baseline.
Performance to Date
Premier Foods uses many different materials, and formats, of primary packaging. While we are committed to minimising the environmental impact of our packaging, we are also keen to support UK packaging manufacturers.
In 2010, most of the primary packaging, and much of the secondary and tertiary packaging we used was manufactured, and sourced, within the UK.
Case Studies:
Hovis Bread Bags.
Hovis down-gauged their bread bag film and modified the dimensions to improve fit of the product in the bag. The project involved consumer group research to analyse ‘quality’
perceptions around the use of thinner film compared to the original bag.
Using less material has delivered the following savings:
• 550 metric tonnes of plastic film
• 1,485 metric tonnes of CO2e.
“Hovis is always looking for ways to reduce its impact on the environment, while still delivering great taste and quality for our consumers”
Julia Herring, Premier Foods’ Packaging Development Manager.
Sun-Pat Peanut Butter.
Our Sun-Pat Peanut Butter brand light-weighted their packs by moving from a glass to a PET jar, which has a 50% recycled content. In depth research, carried out prior to the move, had shown that consumers preferred the lighter, non-breakable jars. The move to PET jars resulted in a 90% weight reduction of the packaging and delivered the following savings:
• 2,404 metric tonnes of packaging
• 886 metric tonnes of CO2e.
We also made transport efficiencies through an 18,432 reduction in delivery miles, with 96 fewer vehicle movements.
Steel Can Container Gauge Reduction.
Impact
Last year, Premier Foods used 1.2 billion steel can packaging containers, weighing the equivalent of 44,400mt of steel. All the steel containers we purchased last year were manufactured in the UK.
In addition to being recycled at high levels, steel can be continuously reused to form new consumer packaging with no degradation in its performance, quality or safety. The use of
recovered steel in the production of new material also reduces the amount of energy required by 25%.
Our Response
In 2010, one type of steel can container we were using was an ‘ET Can Container’ which had a gauge of 0.285mm. We had previously completed numerous down-gauge trials of this
container to try and reduce its gauge to 0.275mm, all of which failed.
However, trials using a new ‘14Z Can’ proved successful, at a gauge of 0.270mm. The standard ‘ET Can’ weighed 37 grams, whereas the new ‘14Z Can’ weighed 35 grams, delivering a weight reduction of more than 5%. The amount of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions released from the manufacture of a single ET Can (weighing 37g) is 174g, whereas the 14Z Can (weighing 35g) is 166g.
Outcome
We use 700 million of new 14Z steel can containers annually. The actual weight and carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions achieved through the delivery of this packaging innovation are given below:
• 1,400 metric tonnes of steel
• 5,600 metric tonnes of CO2e.