The widespread adoption of returning and reusing plastic packaging could help to cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 69 per cent, a study by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation showed on Wednesday.
Such schemes not only lower companies' emissions but can also drive down costs for some items, according to the study covering over 60 organisations including national governments and consumer goods companies such as Danone, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever.
The foundation, known for promoting a circular economy, carried out the study in partnership with Systemiq, a UK-based firm focused on sustainable businesses, and environmental consultancy Eunomia.
The study, published at a time when the United Nations' attempts to deliver the world's first treaty to control plastic pollution show little sign of progress, called for a systemic change to stem and reverse plastic waste across beverages, personal care, fresh food, and food cupboard sectors.
Under its most ambitious scenario - called System Change - reuse schemes could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35 per cent to 69 per cent, water usage by 45 per cent to 70 per cent, and material usage by 45 per cent to 76 per cent, the foundation said.
However, deposit schemes are likely to be key to achieving such targets by driving high return rates, it added.
In the System Change scenario, if consumers received 20 euro cents back when they return packaging to seller, it would lead to significantly lower net costs for returnable beverage and personal care bottles compared with single-use options.
But to reach high return rates and make reuse schemes competitive, shared collection infrastructures, standardised packaging and pooling - the use of shared packaging by several players - are needed, the research showed.
"Now the pressure is on policymakers ... and on business leaders in the fast-moving consumer goods sectors to change their practices," Jean-Pierre Schwetizer, the circular economy manager at the European Environmental Bureau, said in the study.
Russell George MS has been elected as the new Chair of the Cross-Party Group on Small Shops, succeeding Vikki Howells MS.
The decision was taken during the CPG's annual general meeting held on Wednesday (6). The meeting also saw discussion over the important role of access to cash in local communities.
Convenience store body Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) highlighted in the session the current access to cash trends across the convenience sector and the important role that cash plays in local communities and businesses.
Sarah McKenzie, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), also joined the meeting to discuss the FCA's latest interventions to protect access to cash for communities in Wales and what this means for businesses across Wales. The CPG committee also heard from Tenby's Vince Malone, who shared his experience of running a Post Office in his local community and why cash is still important for his customers.
The core purpose of the group is to ensure that the voice of small shops is heard within the Welsh Parliament.
George said, “As a former small shop owner, I am delighted to be elected as Chair of the Cross-party Group on Small Shops. This role is vital in advocating for our local businesses and ensuring that their voices are heard. Access to cash is crucial for communities across Wales, especially in rural areas where many residents rely on cash transactions.
“We must work together to safeguard cash access, ensuring that the people of Wales can engage fully with their local economies and maintain the health of our high streets. I look forward to leading this group in promoting policies that support small shops and enhance financial inclusivity.”
British supermarket group Sainsbury's on Thursday (7) stuck to its full-year forecast of up to 10 per cent profit growth after a 3.7 per cent rise in the first half, with robust grocery sales offset by weakness in general merchandise.
Sainsbury's strategy of matching discounter Aldi's prices on hundreds of essential items and providing better offers for members of its Nectar loyalty scheme, financed by cutting costs, is paying off for CEO Simon Roberts.
The group is also benefiting from the continuing trend of Britons dining at home more, with sales of its premium Taste the Difference range up 18 per cent in the first half.
"Our food business is going from strength to strength and we're making the biggest market share gains in the industry, with continued strong volume growth," said Roberts, adding that he was expecting another "strong performance" at Christmas.
Sainsbury's has a UK grocery market share of 15.2 per cent, the latest data from researcher Kantar shows, up 40 basis points year-on-year. Britain's No. 2 grocer after Tesco said it still expected 2024-25 retail underlying operating profit, its preferred profit measure, of between 1.01 and 1.06 billion pounds, growth of 5 per cent to 10 per cent versus 2023-24.
The group said it also still expected to generate retail free cash flow of at least 500 million pounds.
For the six months to Sept 14, Sainsbury's made retail underlying operating profit of 503 million pounds, up from 485 million pounds in the same period last year.
Second-quarter like-for-like sales, excluding fuel, rose 4.2 per cent, having been up 2.7 per cent in the first quarter.
Grocery sales rose 5.3 per cent and general merchandise and clothing sales in Sainsbury's stores were up 2.2 per cent. However, sales at the Argos business fell 1.4 per cent.
"We remain confident of delivering strong profit growth in the full year, with continued leverage from Sainsbury's grocery volume growth and a stronger Argos H2 performance," said the group.
Small Business Saturday UK has launched its national roadshow that travels the length and breadth of the country ahead of Small Business Saturday on 7 December.
Kicked off in Lossiemouth on Monday (4 November), The Tour will travel over 3,000 miles across the UK for over the course of five weeks in an electric van to limit emissions and reflect the sustainable switches many small business owners are making as part of their vital role in the race to net zero.
The Tour will visit 23 different towns and cities, visiting small businesses, going behind the scenes and meeting the people running them, to shine a light on their invaluable contribution to local communities and the wider UK economy.
It will also offer a jampacked free daily programme of online training and insight - including webinars, mentoring and inspiring entrepreneurial stories - open to all small businesses.
Running from 4 November to 4 December, Monday to Friday at 11am, small businesses can sign up to as many free daily webinars as they want. Covering essential topics like marketing on a budget, time management, finance, sustainability and more, the webinars will offer practical tips and insights from industry experts.
As part of The Tour, the campaign is also offering 1-hour mentoring sessions with trusted small business experts. Sessions run from 4 November to 16 December. Businesses are being urged to book before the 16 November deadline to secure their spot.
Small Business Saturday UK is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign, which highlights small business success and encourages consumers to 'shop local' and support small businesses in their communities.
Details of the Tour locations, webinar programme and mentoring sessions are available here.
Mondelēz International has on Thursday announced that its Cadbury core sharing bars, manufactured in Bournville and Coolock and sold in the UK and Ireland, will be wrapped in 80 per cent certified recycled plastic packaging, which can be attributed to plastic sourced from advanced recycling technology.
This move is the result of a collaboration with Amcor, a global leader in developing and producing more sustainable packaging solutions and Jindal Films, an industry leader in the development and manufacture of recyclable films designed for flexible packaging.
Starting from 2025, in a phased approach, the project aims to cover approximately 300 million sharing bars across the UK and Ireland Cadbury core tablet portfolio. The move will see the highest percentage of recycled flexible plastic used within the Cadbury brand globally.
As part of this effort, 80 per cent of the plastic used in the packaging can be attributed to recycled plastic through mass balance and ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) PLUS certification.
Consumers can also access a new platform via an on pack QR code to find out more about the sustainable packaging journey the Cadbury brand is taking and a consumer-friendly explanation about mass balance. The platform also features the Recycle Now locator from WRAP, enabling consumers to check local collection and recycling points for a wide range of packaging materials.
“This is the latest move in our journey to increase our use of post-consumer recycled plastic across our Cadbury tablets portfolio in the UK&I.” said Louise Stigant, SVP and UK&I managing director, Mondelēz International.
“We remain focused on our long-term aim to offer more sustainable packaging, in particular flexible plastic packaging using advanced recycling technologies. For us this is based around a three-part approach aimed at reducing our packaging, evolving, and designing our packaging to be recyclable and improving systems by supporting the development of UK infrastructure and capabilities to collect, sort and recycle it back into food contact packaging.”
Amcor’s AmFiniti solution converts post-consumer plastic waste into new products, providing Mondelēz International with a packaging solution that is made using 80 per cent certified recycled plastic. This innovative process uses advanced recycling material (ARM) that is suitable for food-grade applications.
Leading confectionery wholesaler Hancocks has unveiled ‘unbeatable’ deals for retail customers this Black Friday.
Their big Black Friday event will be held on 28 November from 8am-8pm.
For one day only, Hancocks are cutting the costs of confectionery treats, seasonal sweets, novelty favourites and big brands including Millions, Cadbury and Haribo.
Retailers have the chance to make big seasonal savings and stock up on the confectionery staples their customers love. All deals are available while stocks last.
On the popular classic Swizzels range, Hancocks is offering customers the chance to buy six and save £10.80.
Retailers can buy six, save £10.00 on Haribo pick and mix, including Giant Cola Bottles, Gold Bears, Happy Cherries, Rhubarb & Custard, Heart Throbs and Fried Eggs.
Novelty lines are also on offer this Black Friday. Customers can buy any three Kidsmania lines and save £5.00, including Peek-A-Poo Potty Pops, Shark Bite, Pooplets and Quick Blast Sour Spray.
From Crazy Candy Factory, retailers can buy one Unicorn Laser Pop and get one Submarine Dip n Lick for free.
Hancocks is also inviting retailers to stack and save with their double deal on Kingsway pick and mix favourites, with the offer of buy ten + bags, save 40p per bag or buy 20 + bags and save £1 per bag.
“Our Black Friday event … is a great opportunity for retailers to benefit from massive savings on the products they always restock,” Kathryn Hague, head of marketing at Hancocks, said.
“This year, we are offering great deals on some of our most popular lines and brands, including Crazy Candy Factory, Swizzels, Warheads, Haribo and Cadbury. This is a great chance to stock up, make your money stretch further and keep your customers happy.”