Four environmental organisations have launched a joint campaign calling on people to stop buying double-packaged or over-packaged products. The organisations are keen to highlight excessive use of superflous plastic packaging and what they call the supermarkets’ "lack of vision for more sustainable consumption".
Supermarkets and producers bear great responsibility and should do their utmost to combat plastic pollution the environmental organisations argue. Double packaging, "which only serves to sell more", in particular bothers them.
"Plastic is everywhere. It pollutes rivers, canals, forests and oceans and poses a serious risk to animals and ourselves," the environmental organisations write. "Moreover, double packaging leads to overconsumption and more food waste."
Get involved and take a snap of superfluous packaging!
To reduce excessive plastic packaging, the organisations are asking people to stop buying "over-packaged" products, but also to take photos of double packaging.
Equipped with a photo consumers can report excess plastic packaging to the Fost Plus website. Fost Plus is a non-profit organisation responsible for recycling household packaging waste. Their website includes a form that can be used to report superfluous packaging .
Joint initiative
The four environmental organisations hope their campaign will help to oblige supermarkets and manufacturers to end unnecessary plastic packaging. The campaign is a joint initiative of Canal It Up, Recycling Network Benelux, Proper Strand Lopers and Gents Milieufront.
Canal It Up, which campaigns for plastic-free waterways in Brussels, last year called Colruyt the biggest polluter of the Brussels Canal. During its search the organisation claims it found 171 different products with double plastic packaging at a Colruyt store!