Although The Moss Group had seen the opportunity to drive collaboration in the area of waste for quiet some time, it was spurred by the call by government for Industry Waste Management Plans (IWMPs) from priority industries, including the Packaging Industry
Retailers were impacted by this call by virtue of their being defined as ‘producers’ of packaging waste through their housebrands and in-store packaging.
In May 2018, The Moss Group kicked off the Collaborative Packaging Waste Initiative (CPWI). The initiative was proposed to all major food retailers; 4 of which jumped at the opportunity to have a real impact on packaging waste. Those involved were Pick n Pay, The Clicks Group, The SPAR Group and Woolworths.
Apart from TMG representing ‘retail’s view’ at engagements concerning the new legislation for Industry Waste Management Plans, the project included deep dives into challenging waste streams such as convenience food packaging, multilayer packaging and On-Pack Recycling Labels (OPRLs). We also developed a tool, in partnership with DataSpank, that quantifies consumer demand for products and therefore packaging. This enabled us to highlight where fast moving consumer goods companies and retailers should focus in order to have maximum impact on reducing packaging waste and driving a circular economy.
The CPWI was able to demonstrate the power of collective data and how it can be used to shift conversations. We have no doubt that further valuable work and engagements will come from the CPWI in the future.