We’re all pretty well trained at this point to drop our bottles into the recycling bin. Seeing someone throw a bottle or can into the regular trash is like seeing someone light up a cigarette- sorry smokers, but it’s true, it goes against what we now know to be common sense for our own health.  Post-consumer sustainability is increasingly a mainstream interest. But how about Pre-Consumer sustainability? A new environmental program in the United Kingdom is engaging the leading retailers, brand owners and their supply chain to identify collaborative approaches to reducing the amount of packaging waste. Packaging optimization is not a new concept (see our recent post about Hewlett Packard for example), but the initiative, known as WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme), is encouraging widespread packaging changes a scale not seen here in the United States. The folks at WRAP found that as much as 50% of household waste in the UK was originating from the five leading supermarket chains and that targeting those retailers could affect change throughout the industry.

WRAP has been particularly successful in encouraging bottlers to convert to lighter weight glass. In the past year, more than 60 bottlers (of beer and cider) in the U.K. have optimized their bottles, eliminating over 32,000 tons of glass. With slight changes to a bottles height and diameter, the beverage companies are able to reduce the weight and amount of material needed by up to 30 per cent.

Pre-consumer sustainability programs like these have a direct (and positive) impact throughtout the supply chain, and we think it’s time for a WRAP-style initiative here in the U.S.