Sustainable packing an emerging consumer trend - study

The increasing importance of sustainable packaging as a consumer issue means companies need to constantly reassess the amount of packing they use, according to a new report.

The study, from market analysts Datamonitor, said while sustainable packaging is not yet the main reason for purchasing a product, it is becoming a “consumer expectation”. It is one of a growing number of issues – including ethics, economics and environmentalism- that is driving consumer choice, said report author Matthew Adams.

Please click here to continue reading the rest of the outcomes of the report on this consumer trend.

New Retail Lighting Guide from Carbon Trust UK

The Carbon Trust has published a new guide on how to reduce display lighting costs in the retail sector. The document is entitled "Display lighting - Creating maximum impact with minimal energy consumption".

The guide shows that retailers could cut their display lighting usage by up to 30% by adopting the latest energy saving technology.In addition, as LED lighting advances the potential savings will be greater.The guide can be downloaded from the website of Carbon Trust (downloading the doucment is for free but registration is required).

Organic Food Concept The Netherlands realized by Jos de Vries The Retail Company

ORGANIC (NL)

ORGANIC (NL)

Green order and delivery system in retail sector

Mars Company in the Netherlands is testing a new initiative in logistics: Green order. The objective is to change the order behaviour to reduce the emission of CO2. The impact on the environment will be measured and communicated to the clients. When an order is placed the emission of CO2 will be mentioned at the delivery receipt, to see the effects of the order on the environment.

With Green Order Mars wants to support social responsability and improve the occupation grade of the delivery trucks. The project will be done together with transport company Kuehne + Nagel and the consultancy agency Capgemini.

Introducing the Green Order system they also hope to reduce the number of traffic jams and have lower costs because of a more efficient delivery system. The client will benefit by the more efficient receival of products. Clients will also get a “logistic customer scorecard”, where supplier and client can formulate their environment goals.

German retailer REWE launches plan to reduce CO2 emission by 30 per cent

The German retailer REWE has announced plans to reduce its annual CO2 emissions of 2.5 million tons by 30 per cent by 2015. Compared to the 2006 reference year, the CO2 emissions per square metre of sales floor area will thus be reduced from 320 kg to 224 kg. To achieve this goal, the company will cooperate with the Öko-Institut in Germany and with the Federal Office for the Environment in Austria in the collection and evaluation of data and in taking further steps.

More than 60 per cent of the total emissions of REWE Group are caused by the factor "electricity". By increasing the energy efficiency of the stores and by the switching to green electricity important steps towards achieving the corporate climate goals have already been taken. Now, the aspects of refrigerating agents (15 per cent of the emissions), heat (12 per cent), logistics (8 per cent), paper consumption (3 per cent) and business travels (2 per cent) are on the agenda.

French supermarket chain E.Leclerc launched website for fairtrade products

The French supermarket chain E.Leclerc and Alter ECO (promotor of fair trade products) work together and developed a website (http://www.laboequitable.fr/) to inform and educate the French consumers about the origen and availabilty of the FairTrade Products in their French Leclerc supermarkets.

Information point and meant to created an increase awareness of the use and benefits of the fair trade concepts. The website shows fairtrade products, services and fair trade projects. Leclerc sold last year for a total of 22 million euro on fair trade products, this means a 18,5% of the total turn-over of fairtrade products in France. Alter Eco Americas Corporation is a start-up dedicated to the import and distribution of fair trade food products.

Recycling of packages in Spanish market

The Spanish recycling organisation Ecoembes, recycled last year 1.229.636 tons of packages, a total of 62% of the total market of packages. Furthermore they could turn 99.111 tons into energy value. A total of 1.328.747 tons of packages, 67% of the total market value, was recuperated.

If we look at the typs of material we can see that paper and cartoon was the biggest product group, followed by plastics (+12%) and metal.
The results are higher than the law of packaging from 1997 states. Spain can be placed more and more by the best recycling countries of Europe, countries like France, United Kingdom, Sweden, Czech Republic or Norway.

Since the start of Ecoembes in 1998 they avoided the waste of over 10 million tons of packages, this is the same amount as the contact of 750 football stadions of FC Barcelona. Of this number they recycled over 8 millions of tons, a saving of 7,7 million of tons of CO2, 8.900 Mwh energy (yearly consumption of 900.000 housholds).

In Spain an increasing number of families and companies have the option to separate their garbage. A number of 12.376 Spanish companies work with Ecoembes (90% of the total amount of packaging). The biggest sector of recycling is the food sector, followed by the drinks sector and companies of hygienic and beauty products.