KEY POINTS:
Going green has rarely been more fashionable and supermarkets are boldly wearing their credentials - but are they going far enough?
In Britain, where the Stern Report on global warming created general panic, supermarket chains are jostling for pole position in the race to save the environment. Marks and Spencer promises to send no more refuse to landfill and to ensure all its products and packaging are recyclable by 2012. Sainsbury's is developing biodegradable packaging and Tesco wants a 30 per cent cut in the amount of carbon dioxide produced per case of product.
In this country, both major supermarket operators, Progressive Enterprises and Foodstuffs, have "green bag" schemes and ask checkout staff to minimise use of plastic bags.
But although customers may buy a green bag, "the problem is getting the consumer to bring them back and use them," says Mark Bell, Progressive's health and food safety manager.
He says more than half the waste stream at Progressive's supermarkets (Foodtown, Woolworths and Countdown) is recycled. With cardboard, the figure has improved to 95 per cent and more plastics are recovered.
Through their house brands, the big operators can influence product design and both are members of the Packaging Accord. But Bell says retailers cannot tell manufacturers to reduce packaging or use recyclable materials. "It would be an abuse of our power to dictate to a supplier how they design their product."
He says the proposed Waste Minimisation Bill is overly prescriptive and will bring more red tape. Supermarkets will overflow with product recycling information and be forced to provide carpark recycling depots.
"Product stewardship will be a huge monitoring and tracking exercise not only for the manufacturer but the retailer, with very detailed reporting of how much is sold and how much is recovered on each product."
Bell claims it could lead to fewer goods available as manufacturers bypass New Zealand.
