Waste – Woolworths Holdings Limited

STRATEGY

Population growth and densification are increasing the amount of waste produced, especially in urban centres. We seek to address this by reducing packaging and managing waste effectively across our value chain.

In 2018, we committed to zero packaging waste to landfill and that all our packaging would be reusable or recyclable. As part of our Vision 2025+ strategy, we set goals for our private label products to be reused, repaired, resold or recycled by 2025 and to contain at least one renewed, reused or recycled material input by 2030. We also committed to halving food loss and waste in our operations and across our top 30 suppliers by 2030.

Our customers are the end-users of our products and hold us accountable for excessive and non-recyclable packaging. Packaging waste is directly linked to its recyclability. However, even when it is recyclable, the areas where we operate have poor recycling infrastructure. Single-use plastic packaging remains the worst offender, as less than 10% is recycled globally. It also continues to be one of the biggest customer concerns.

Therefore, engaging our customers in managing waste from our products is a priority. We aim to design for reuse and recyclability and to raise awareness of how waste should be managed across our value chain.

Our packaging strategy has the following pillars:

Reduce: Reduce our use of non-renewable resources. This includes plastic packaging, particularly virgin and non-recyclable plastic
Reuse or repurpose: Investigate reusable or refillable systems. Where commercially viable, scale these systems to eliminate the need for disposable packaging
Innovation: Pioneer alternative designs and materials that enable the establishment of a circular economy for the materials used
Recycle: Support recycling infrastructure to reduce waste to landfill
Behaviour change: Influence behaviour change of customers, employees and industry

MANAGEMENT APPROACH

How we approach packaging and product design is crucial for minimising the environmental impact of our products. Working closely with product technologists, operations managers and suppliers, we strive to:

Improve the materials and substrate types used on our products by identifying troublesome packaging and removing it from our product offering. Woolworths is shifting from multi-polymer and multi-layer to fully recyclable packaging for food
Drive efficiencies by reviewing opportunities for alternative sustainable packaging and product material options
Reduce the amount of waste from our operations sent to landfill
Make it easier for customers to recycle by communicating recycling options on product packs and providing recycling facilities in areas where we operate
Document and track performance against our commitments

We work closely with our suppliers to ensure these practices filter through our value chain. Where solutions are complex and hard to implement, we collaborate with industry stakeholders who share our vision. This has helped us build critical mass within the industry to promote systemic change.

We position ourselves as a responsible retailer through constant customer engagement. We communicate using various platforms to shift customer perceptions on how we manage waste and packaging.