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Retailers have refuted claims made by Lib Dem MP Jo Swinson that they have made little progress in the past year in cracking down on excessive Easter egg packaging.
Commercially produced Easter eggs generate an estimated 3,000 tonnes of UK waste each year, according to Wrap. But despite some improvements, many Easter chocolate products remain over-packaged and unrecyclable, according to a report, which is produced annually, by the Liberal Democrat MP Jo Swinson.
The study found that luxury eggs from Thorntons, Baileys and Marks & Spencer continued to use plastic packaging that is not recyclable in most local authorities.
British Retail Consortium head of environment Bob Gordon said: “First and foremost, Easter eggs are a gift and their packaging is an essential part of that.
“Nonetheless, retailers have made massive progress over recent years reducing the quantity of packaging involved, so much so that it’s now hard to take further dramatic strides.
“Retailers know that packaging matters to consumers and they’ve responded. Easter eggs are a single product which come out once a year. We’ve got our sights set on far bigger goals, such as reducing the carbon impact of all packaging by 10% in the next three years.”
Incpen director Jane Bickerstaffe said: “We’ve met with Jo Swinson in the past and explained that if consumers want chocolate then they can buy a bar of chocolate in very minimal packaging. If they want to get someone an Easter egg as a special treat then they want it to look special and that may justify a little bit extra decoration.
“It’s the same comparison for clothing. We have basic work clothes or special occasion outfits. We could go a wedding in our underwear but most of us feel a bit of ‘excessive’ clothing and decoration is necessary and fun! It also shows our respect for other people and the occasion.”
The report singled out a Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference egg for misleading customers by wrongly bearing the ‘widely recycled’ symbol.
In contrast, the ‘big three’ confectionery companies – Nestle, Mars and Cadbury – used packaging made from widely recyclable materials such as cardboard for their medium-sized eggs.
Swinson said: “Since launching this report in 2007 the main chocolate companies have acted to reduce their packaging and improve recyclability.
“However there are still a number of companies who rely too much on plastic and are sitting on their laurels.
“Companies need to realise they haven’t gone far enough yet and still need to change the fact that so many Easter eggs are drowning in excess packaging.’
Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman added: “Nobody wants broken Easter eggs but excessive packaging costs everyone money and creates unnecessary waste, which is bad for the environment.
“Many companies are doing a great job of significantly reducing Easter egg packaging and I applaud Nestlé’s example of making all packaging 100% recyclable. Now I am calling on other Easter egg makers to follow suit.”
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