The Local Government Association has written to the Environment Secretary Hilary Benn in a bid to make the Government force supermarkets to reveal exactly how much packaging they produce.
The LGA wants the information to be published so that shoppers can “see hard evidence to back up supermarkets’ claims that they are taking the problem of packaging seriously”.
Despite contacting eight retailers only Marks & Spencer, Waitrose and Morrisons revealed details about how much packaging they produce. The LGA said Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Co-op all referred councils to WRAP, which responded to the LGA’s enquiry but failed to disclose how much packaging each supermarket produces. Lidl gave no reply at all.
In the letter, LGA chairman Margaret Eaton says: “Supermarkets must be open with people about how much packaging they are producing. It is vital that consumers can make informed choices about where they shop and which products they buy. The public needs to see hard evidence to back up claims of supermarkets that they are taking the problem of packaging seriously, that their claims to be cutting packaging are real and that targets are effective.
“Until it is clear that each supermarket is playing its part, how can we assess whether the targets are tough enough? We all need to ensure we are sending less rubbish to landfill and that supermarkets play their part in this.”
The LGA is calling on WRAP to publish, a quarterly report detailling the amount of packaging each supermarket produces so that consumers can see the best performers. Council leaders say that while people are recycling more, their efforts are being undermined by supermarkets using excessive packaging, which adds to the estimated £1.8 billion local authorities will spend on landfill tax between 2008 and 2011.
