Findus Group strengthens commitment to packaging and waste reduction

The Findus Group, parent to Young's, Findus and The Seafood Company, has today boosted its commitment to reduce waste by signing up to the Courtauld Commitment Phase 2, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to Findus Group.

The Group first became a signatory to Phase 1 of Courtauld through the Young's brand in 2007. Since then it has achieved some significant milestones - for instance reducing waste to landfill from Grimsby operations to less than 1% and cutting down on product packaging across all its brands and businesses.

Driven by the Government's WRAP (Waste & Resources Action) the Courtauld Commitment is an initiative designed to improve resource efficiency and reduce the carbon and wider environmental impact of the grocery retail sector.

Ian Hagg, CSR director at Findus Group says, "We are delighted to become an early signatory to the targets of Courtauld 2. We strongly support the reduction of waste as a key element of the broader environmental programme set out in our Food for Life initiative for the whole of Findus Group in Europe".

Barry Pamplin, packaging and innovation director for the Findus Group says, "We have already achieved good progress Courtauld Phase 1 - this new commitment allows us to set even stronger targets to reduce waste throughout our supply chain - from raw material right through to the consumers who enjoy our products."

Key Findus Group commitments under Courtauld 2 include:

• To target a 10% reduction in packaging over the next 3 years
• To increase the use of recycled materials in product packaging and promote recycling
• To target 0% operational waste to landfill by 2012 and to contribute to new research and partnerships to investigate novel technologies for waste re-use.
• By reviewing waste at all levels of the supply chain, to target a minimum waste reduction of 5% overall (against a 2009 baseline).

Ian Hagg says, "In addition to supply chain improvements, through our frozen we brands can make a great contribution to the concept of 'Love Food, Hate Waste' - reducing food waste at home. For instance, new multi-portion frozen products in re-sealable bags such as our Findus pasta range are ideal for this - they allow people to use only what they need and the long shelf life of frozen inherently means that much less is wasted."

Useful background

Phase 1 of the Courtauld Commitment was launched in 2005. The success of Phase 1 has already prevented 1.2 million tonnes of food and packaging waste. Results announced in September 2010 show that 670,000 tonnes of food waste and 520,000 tonnes of packaging have been avoided across the UK between 2005 and 2009.

WRAP works in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to help businesses and individuals reap the benefits of reducing waste, develop sustainable products and use resources in an efficient way.

Findus Group is one of Europe's largest frozen food and seafood companies with leading brands, 6000 employees and over £1.1 billion turnover. It operates in 5 countries and has 21 manufacturing sites across Europe. In the UK, the Findus Group is the parent of Young's, Findus and The Seafood Company.