Based in Poole, Lush has put cutting excess packaging at the heart of the company’s strategy by taking an innovative approach to product design and packaging reduction.  Each 55g Lush Shampoo Bar provides approximately the same number of washes as three 250ml bottles of liquid shampoo, while last year alone, Lush customers saved 3,000,000 plastic bottles by using shampoo bars instead of packaged liquid shampoo.

Jo Swinson MP has campaigned extensively on issues around excess packaging for over two years.  In October 2007 she presented a Private Members Bill at Westminster, proposing tighter regulations on packaging and binding targets for packaging reduction.  The proposals in the Bill were subsequently discussed with DEFRA Minister Joan Ruddock.

After being given a tour of the Lush factory by Ethics Director Hilary Jones, Jo Swinson commented:

“People from across the whole country have told me that they are frustrated by the amount of excess packaging they encounter.  Card, plastic, foil and glass all contribute to the 4.7 million tonnes of packaging waste disposed of by UK households each year.

“Consumers are paying for excess packaging three times over: once at the checkout, once in council taxes for refuse or recycling collection and once in the environmental cost in terms of carbon emissions.  It makes no environmental sense to over-package products and no economic sense to charge frustrated consumers for packaging they don’t need.”

Annette Brooke MP added:

“It is great to see ethical businesses like Lush taking the initiative and realising that their customers don’t want to pay for elaborate packaging that they will discard or recycle as soon as they get home.  The government should be showing the same initiative by taking much bigger steps to reduce the amount of wasteful excess packaging faced by consumers.

“I am extremely proud to have such a forward looking, successful environmental business in the heart of my constituency.”

Last year’s Liberal Democrat conference saw the party adopt a new policy on packaging proposed by Jo Swinson.  The policy includes introduction of binding targets to reduce packaging and action to cut the use of plastic bags.

Lush Ethics Director Hilary Jones said:

“It is refreshing to have MPs show an interest in this issue.  Only by Parliament and businesses working together can we find a solution to this growing mountain of waste.  The public want something done and businesses and MPs should be doing more to find solutions to these problems.”

Under the first stage of the Courtauld Commitment on packaging reduction, producers representing 90% of the UK grocery sector agreed to design out packaging waste growth by 2008.

Commenting on the first stage results announced today, Jo said:

“Today’s announcement indicates that packaging in the grocery sector has now reached a plateau, though not an actual reduction as yet.

“Announcing a single target across the grocery sector as a whole, rather than showing what individual producers have achieved, is unhelpful in terms of transparency.  Consumers should be allowed to know which companies are taking a lead and which are lagging behind.  Those who are dragging their heels on packaging reduction are effectively riding the coat tails of those who are setting the pace.

“Many of the companies that signed up to the Courtauld Commitment also set their own targets on packaging reduction, some of which are due to be completed this year.  Cutting excess packaging must be an ongoing process, not a one-off effort, so I am disappointed not to hear more today about what DEFRA is doing to broker further reduction targets with producers.”

The Courtauld Commitment is a voluntary agreement between WRAP and major UK grocery organisations that supports less packaging and food waste ending up in household bins.  The agreement asks for signatories to support WRAP in the achievements of its objectives:
• To design out packaging waste growth by 2008.
• To deliver absolute reductions in packaging waste by 2010.
• To identify ways to tackle the problem of food waste.

Retailers promise they are cutting back on packaging in the face of protests from environmentalists.

Watch the BBC Report online. Remember to look out for local “take back your packaging” events.

Morsbags is part of a global network, founded in January this year by Claire Morsman, which provides people with instructions to help them make and distribute re-usable shopping bags.  Jo joined representatives from Morsbags at a recent event in the House of Commons. Commenting, Jo said: “Making Morsbags is a really fun way to help improve the world in which we live, and its something that everyone can get involved with. The idea of Morsbags is to get together with people in your local community and make reusable cloth bags – something I think people in East Dunbartonshire can really get involved in”“Morsbags are a new, sociable and sustainable way to challenge the problem of plastic bag waste.  Making sure we remember to carry re-usable shopping bags with us is a simple step that can have a significant positive impact on the environment.” Globally, over one million plastic carrier bags are consumed every minute, and it is estimated that the average person in the UK uses over 300 per year. So far Morsbags have made over 21,300 bags out of reusable cloth such old duvet covers and curtains. That potentially replaces over 10.5 million plastic carriers.  The bags are locally sourced and made by scouts, school children, pensioners, youth groups and many more.  Over 560 groups worldwide are involved with Morsbags and the number is continuing to grow each week.

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The Minister made some important concessions in her response to Jo Swinson’s speech, stating: “The hon. Member for East Dunbartonshire (Jo Swinson) raised questions about the packaging regulations. We agree with her. The essential requirements do not work. We have asked for a review, but progress is slow.”

 Jo Swinson was due to meet Joan Ruddock today to discuss these issues, but as a result of the debate in Parliament, ended up questioning her across the floor of the House instead.  That meeting has been rescheduled and will take place in 2-3 weeks.

The Easter eggs, made by Lindt and Nestle, came out worst in a survey of Easter egg packaging carried out by the East Dunbartonshire MP.

Jo Swinson said:

“These Easter eggs epitomise why consumers are so frustrated with over-packaged goods, especially at Easter. The eggs take up just 9% of the volume of the packaging, and the Nestle egg has actually increased the amount of packaging used compared to a survey I carried out last year.

“There are clear legal requirements placed on packaging, and these eggs certainly go beyond what is necessary to protect the product. You just have to look at the bewildering array of Easter eggs on offer to see that producers are locked into a packaging ‘arms race’, competing for space on the supermarket shelf with bigger and more attention-grabbing products.”

“The Government must take the initiative and force supermarkets and producers to stop this wasteful, unnecessary use of resources.”

“Despite packaging being much more in the spotlight, Easter egg manufacturers are not taking the steps needed.”