Paul Polman, Unilever CEO and The Consumer Goods Forum Board Co ]Sponsor for Sustainability, said: gOur industry has a responsibility to review the packaging it uses and to ensure that any negative impact arising from its production or disposal is minimised. Packaging spans the entire value chain and is a shared responsibility for all trading partners. To be able to address this responsibility effectively trading partners need to have a common way of talking about packaging and sustainability. This project delivers that language and will enable more informed dialogue. h
Sir Terry Leahy, Tesco CEO, who co ]sponsors this programme with Paul Polman, added: gThis the first of many planned outcomes from the Sustainability workstream in the Consumer Goods Forum. It fs an important first step, and future work will build on the foundation it provides. We look forward to many more successful projects emerging from this programme, which will assist our industry in this very important area. h
Some 84 stakeholders have contributed to the project, including manufacturers, retailers, packaging converters, trade associations, academics and consultants. with core input from ECR Europe, The European Organization for Packaging and the Environment (EUROPEN), the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC). Pilot projects using the measurement system are currently underway, with the first results expected by the end of the year.