The Industry Council for Packaging & the Environment, Incpen, has hit back at last week’s report from the Local Government Association about over-packaging.
“If products are damaged or spoiled as a result of inadequate packaging, all the energy and materials in those products are lost,” said Incpen’s director Jane Bickerstaffe. “If we didn’t have packaging, landfills would be a great deal fuller, with damaged goods and spoilt food. Used household packaging occupies less than three per cent of landfill space.”
She said that it was “a shame” that the LGA survey did not look into how much food arrived at its destination in good condition as a result of adequate packaging.
“The whole point of packaging is to make sure the food is safe and wholesome all the way though to when it is consumed,” she said. “Far from being rubbish, packaging can save far more waste than it generates.”
