Do we really care about sustainability? Weight on a minute…

Do we really care about sustainability? That’s the title of a Marketing Week article (2 Feb 2011). However, the article is really about sustainable packaging and it would appear that the majority of folk do not care as much about it as the marketers do.

Why would we? We should, not least because packaging adds to the cost of goods. The article cites Sainsbury’s milk in squidgy packs and the trials Asda have done with refillable fabric conditioner packaging. In both cases, the products are sold at a cheaper price. I applaud this because it shows these retailers are passing on the cost savings to customers – always a good sign.

The article also highlights Kenco’s refill packs and focuses on their claim of ‘97% less packaging weight’. Personally, I don’t drink instant coffee, but I do drink milk and eat tinned tomatoes and use fabric conditioner.

As someone who cares much more about sustainability than the average consumer, I always tread carefully with any ‘packaging with less weight’ marketing. For me, the most important question is whether the packaging is easily recyclable? If it is, then I’ll buy it. If not, I’ll stick with what I can recycle after I’ve consumed the goods.

I remember the debate when Sainsbury’s switched to chopped tomatoes in Tetra packs. Yes, much lighter than tins, but at the time, there was no outlet for recycling them. So, I stuck with tins. Similarly, glass can be easily recycled, so this would persuade me to stick with a jar of coffee rather than a plastic bag that I can’t put in my recycling bin. Same goes for the milk in bags – nice idea, but my council collects plastic bottles for recycling, so this is actually less wasteful than sending a hundred milk bags a year to landfill.

Refills are a great idea, but as the article says, you have to take the pouches back into the store with you. I shop online, but most people don’t. So give it time. A few years ago, I worked on the campaigns to get people to re-use carrier bags. It seemed quite a tall order then, but now it’s second nature to most people.

It’s encouraging to see manufacturers looking at packaging, but it is only one aspect of sustainability.

Debbie Griffiths www.idealCSR.co.uk