A good 'rap' for waste reduction

• Food producer extracts further waste and costs-savings thanks to lean supply chain discipline
• 1 680 tonnes of waste reduction targeted through 17 projects and 110 tonnes diverted from landfill

Convenience food manufacturer Greencore and supermarket Sainsbury’s have strived to drive out waste in their sandwich supply chain, through a collaborative approach following WRAP's W.A.S.T.E. Problem Solving Discipline (see reference).

The two companies worked with packaging system supplier, Rapid Action Packaging (RAP) and produce suppliers MyFresh and Tulip. Even in an already ‘lean’ supply chain, significant waste reduction opportunities were detected. The project was focused on Greencore’s Park Royal manufacturing site in London.

Key results

Some of the topline outcomes of the exercise included:

• 1 680 tonnes of waste reduction targeted through 17 projects
• A further 110 tonnes were diverted from landfill
• Improved relationships between different members of the supply chain
• Increased knowledge and environmental awareness of staff

The success of this collaborative project inspired management to use the approach at other sites and on other lines by both Greencore and Sainsbury’s.