At the end of June 2012, Wrap launched the Hospitality and Foodservice Agreement with the broad aim of reducing food and associated packaging waste. But what does this mean for the foodservice packaging sector and what steps can be taken to achieve these aims?
Specifically, the two key aims of the Hospitality and Foodservice Agreement are to cut food and associated packaging waste by 5% by the end of 2015 and to increase the amount of food and packaging waste that is recycled, sent to anaerobic digestion (AD) or composted to 70%, also by 2015; both targets will have the overall effect of reducing waste sent to landfill.
The Foodservice Packaging Association (FPA), which represents more than 130 manufacturers, importers and distributors of foodservice packaging within the UK, has been involved in the consultation process and has signed up as a founding 'Supporter' of the Voluntary Agreement (VA); other supporters are trade associations, industry bodies and consultants.? The 'Signatories' (caterers and operators supplying food to the consumer), meanwhile, include major names on the high street such as McDonald's, Domino's Pizza and Greene King pubs.
It is worth noting that the VA does not require the reduction of packaging used, out of recognition that packaging plays an important role in preserving the freshness of food and thereby reducing food waste. So just what measures are available to packaging manufacturers to deliver on this pledge?
Martin Kersh, director of the FPA, explains: "Our members work closely with the foodservice industry to develop packaging in the correct sizes for the operator to sell. Manufacturers are constantly looking at design and material usage in their product development, but ultimately the job of packaging is to ensure food is served perfectly, has the most appetite appeal and is well preserved, which means the food is all consumed and not wasted."
Reducing food waste
Examples of foodservice packaging manufacturers working closely with foodservice operators on packaging solutions are plentiful. Linpac Plastics introduced compartment-style Hotpacs in response to the trend within foodservice to control portion sizes in order to help minimise food waste. This product, manufactured from EPS, which has thermal properties to keep the food warm for longer, helps fast food operators to easily see how much food they should serve as a single portion.
Two similar innovations, the Deli Pot Topper Pack from Kobusch and the Press&Dress from Solo Cup Europe, combine two packaging elements to reduce both the overall packaging and food waste by keeping the main ingredient – a salad, fruit or vegetables – separate from the accompaniment, which could be a dressing, yoghurt or dip, thus preserving the freshness of the food until consumption.? Press&Dress is also manufactured from locally-sourced recycled PET and is an example of how foodservice packaging can close the material loop, specifying new product from recycled material.
Lightweighting of packaging has also been high on the agenda for foodservice packaging suppliers, as in many other areas. For manufacturers, lightweighting is continual and is a crucial part of the design process.? "We don't over-specify with packaging," says Neil Whittall, commercial and contracts director of Huhtamaki (UK) and chairman of the FPA. "Manufacturers are continually looking at lightweighting and optimising material usage in order to remain competitive."
However, it is important not to take lightweighting too far as the packaging has to remain fit for purpose. Linpac Plastics' foodservice marketing manager, Megan Ashcroft says: "A pack has to protect, preserve and present the food contained within and the environmental consequences of a pack which does not deliver on these qualities are more far-reaching. A hot food container which is lightweighted to the point that it loses its thermal qualities and no longer keeps food warm, and a container which loses its rigidity and strength allowing food to spill out, are useless and only add to the waste problem."
Reducing food and associated packaging waste is only one part of the story; reducing the amount of both that goes to landfill is the other. To achieve this, more packaging must be recycled, re-used, sent to AD or composted. Recycling used packaging is a proven and successful activity with which the British consumer is already familiar. Reported plastic packaging recycling tonnages have steadily increased from 125,000 tonnes in 1998 to 609,000 tonnes in 2011 and the foodservice packaging sector has made good use of recycled PET in new packaging.
The new kid on the block in foodservice packaging is plant-based material. Certified compostable, these materials may be disposed of alongside food waste in a composting facility. Examples include Huhtamaki's Bioware range, made from PLA, a material produced from cornstarch, Vegware's extensive range of products made from plant sources and London Bio Packaging's bio products. For many, these new materials are the future for packaging but some challenges remain.
Vegware is a supporter of the Hospitality and Foodservice Agreement. Its pledge to the Wrap initiative was to help solve one of the problems for the composting of food and associated packaging waste – who does it if the local authority doesn't? After months of research, Vegware has launched the Food Waste Network, an online, free service to help any business to find a food waste recycling partner local to them.? Businesses simply enter their postcode and receive an email with appropriate contact details by return.
London Bio Packaging is also a supporter of the new VA. As the supplier of much of the packaging at the London 2012 games (although not for McDonald's, which developed its own packaging with the Games' organising body), London Bio Packaging has supplied in the region of 120m items of zero waste packaging, all labelled to enable the consumer to dispose of items in the separate bins provided around the Olympic sites.
London Bio Packaging's managing director, Marcus Hill, believes the Games will provide invaluable practical knowledge that can be taken as part of the legacy of the games and applied across the foodservice and hospitality industries. The fact remains, though, that at the moment, no-one is able to estimate how much compostable packaging is actually composted and how much still ends up in landfill.
Achievable or not?
The foodservice packaging industry appears confident that it can hit its waste targets. The UK has a positive tradition of successful VAs negating the need for formal legislation, not least the Courtauld Commitment. Moreover, the foodservice packaging industry has a strong record of responding to demand for action and has often led the way with its own initiatives.
The threat of ill-planned legislation imposing unrealistic recycling targets has often been present in the background, but Martin Kersh believes that the FPA's involvement throughout the consultation process for this VA, its ongoing work with Wrap and the recognised efforts of its members are evidence that the industry is mature enough to achieve results without legislation.
Huhtamaki's Whittall is also positive. "I think the industry will meet these targets, assuming that market growth is taken into account."
Tony Waters, managing director of Solo Cup Europe, is also upbeat about the sector's chances of hitting the targets. "As we go forward our collective creativity must be applied to continual innovation of new concepts that meet the consumer requirement for convenience, the operator requirement for functionality and the government's requirement to reduce, re-use and recycle," he says. "Together we need to hit those voluntary targets or risk unwelcome legislation."
Key challenges
Government policy
Defra has introduced new recycling targets to be met by 2017, but there is still no clear Government policy for out-of-home packaging collections for local authorities to follow. A suggested tax on packaging is a punitive measure that fails to recognise used packaging as a valuable resource
Sustainability
Ongoing investment is needed to meet the evolving requirements of the foodservice operators and develop product innovations that also deliver environmental solutions, but the rising costs of energy and raw materials are squeezing manufacturer margins
Public perception
Consumers generally harbour a negative perception of packaging and the industry needs to be more proactive in promoting the positive benefits of its products to inform the public that packaging is not an evil, but is part of the solution in reducing food waste
