Kenco Eco Packaging = Greenwash?
Greetings,
You may well have seen the TV and poster campaign by Kenco advertising an Eco-Refill packaging unit for their instant coffee range. The premise behind their green message is that by producing a range of foil sealed sachets consumers can refill their glass jars from the sachets and because the sachet weighs less than the glass jar, they reduce 97% of their waste packaging weight.
The real issue with this is that instead of having a 100% recyclable waste stream, namely glass jars and plastic caps, you now have a composite product which is made of metal foil and plastic clips that cannot be recycled and must instead be sent to landfill! Kenco are working in partnership with Terracycle to offer a recycling solution, consumers must register on the Terracycle website then freepost their pack to Terracycle. There is no alternative in domestic waste collections other than landfill for this packaging solution.
I'm sorry to say it but this looks to be the worst kind of greenwash to me!
Onwards & upwards?
Lucy.
*edited 10/11/09 - To amend postage details re: Terracycle scheme.
You may well have seen the TV and poster campaign by Kenco advertising an Eco-Refill packaging unit for their instant coffee range. The premise behind their green message is that by producing a range of foil sealed sachets consumers can refill their glass jars from the sachets and because the sachet weighs less than the glass jar, they reduce 97% of their waste packaging weight.
The real issue with this is that instead of having a 100% recyclable waste stream, namely glass jars and plastic caps, you now have a composite product which is made of metal foil and plastic clips that cannot be recycled and must instead be sent to landfill! Kenco are working in partnership with Terracycle to offer a recycling solution, consumers must register on the Terracycle website then freepost their pack to Terracycle. There is no alternative in domestic waste collections other than landfill for this packaging solution.
I'm sorry to say it but this looks to be the worst kind of greenwash to me!
Onwards & upwards?
Lucy.
*edited 10/11/09 - To amend postage details re: Terracycle scheme.
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