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It's not just packaging -- it's M&S packaging. New research from the Local Government Association gives M&S poor marks for its product packaging (pictured), and finds that overall the supermarkets have slightly reduced the amount of packaging they're sticking us with.
The Local Government Associations' 'War on Waste' food packaging research is done every six months (this batch is just the second time around) and tracks whether supermarket are reducing the amount of packaging waste and non-recyclable rubbish sold along with their products. Researchers buy a typical basket of products from eight retailers, weigh the packaging and calculate what percentage can be recycled.
The research shows that market traders and local shops on the high street produced less packaging and more of it could be recycled than the packaging from larger supermarkets. The supermarket with the heaviest packaging was Lidl (813 grams). Lidl and M&S had the lowest level of packaging that could be recycled (62 per cent). ASDA's packaging weighed least among the major supermarkets -- 646 grams, 69 per cent of which was recyclable. Packaging weighed least of all in a local market -- 617 grams -- with 76 per cent of it recyclable.
Most retailers had a lower weight of packaging than in the first survey six months ago. The average weight has reduced by five per cent, though the proportion of packaging that's recyclable hasn't changed much.
You pizza fans should take note: the report singled out M&S' pizza for its redundant packaging. The pizza pie "was shrink-wrapped onto a polystyrene base, although it had an outer cardboard layer that was recyclable." We've always wondered why pizzas come with such heavy-duty triple-level protection: they're basically bread, cheese and tomato, not nuclear fuels.
One bright spot is the humble mushroom, which the report found was the most improved product "with paper bags available for packaging in four locations on this occasion compared to only two locations at the first shop." You can check out the full report here.
Let's face it, product packaging can be mind-bendingly annoying. Our top five pet peeves are:
The Sheathed Banana: Come on, it's already got the packaging built in. It's not a violin -- so it doesn't need a violin case.
The Shrink-wrapped Brocolli: The packaging on brocolli reminds us of a children's toy. No. It's a vegetable.
The Impregnable Gadget: Headphones? Flash drive? Earphone jack? You may never find out as you're going to need a cutting crew to get the plastic blister pack open.
The Sealed CD: Yes, we know it's for security. Yes, we know we can go get a pair of scissors. And yes, it hurts our thumbs.
The Fort Knox Tea Box: It's a sealed cardboard box of tea bags. It doesn't need cellophane around it. We're drinking loose tea from now on.
What are your biggest headaches when it comes to product packaging? Let us know in the comments below...
29 May 2008 11:43am
I agree on the M&S pizzas. Though to be honest, Sainsbury's ones are just as bad.... plastic base, plastic wrapping and then cardboard around the whole thing. Is the base really necessary?
29 May 2008 01:18pm
Pet peeve: plastic packaging that has the triangular recycling symbol on it, but doesn't have a number in the triangle, so you can't tell whether it's the sort of plastic your council accepts.
29 May 2008 01:21pm
M & S take the packet for this, talk about plastic city in the veg department!!
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