Calls for a reduction in the amount of packaging on groceries are supported by an overwhelming majority of the population, according to a newly released opinion poll. In a MORI survey of 1,000 supermarket shoppers, 92 per cent said that they wished to see a reduction in the overall amount of packaging, while 93 per cent wanted to see a rise in recyclable packaging. The support comes as The Independent begins a new stage in the Campaign Against Waste, which has rallied support against the amount of excess plastic, card and other materials covering everyday products. This month, we are asking readers to take part in an online survey of packaging organised by the Women's Institute, which held a day of action on packaging last month. Participants are asked to state how much packaging they have encountered when buying common groceries, such as apples, yoghurt and flapjacks, and whether supermarkets have improved their performance in the past year. There are also questions on plastic bags.

Since launching the Campaign Against Waste on 22 January, retailers and manufacturers have promised to reduce the amount of packaging, which has been rising by 3 per cent a year. Supermarkets such as Asda have been trialling the sale of fresh produce without trays and bags, while Morrisons - whose shrink-wrapped swede was featured on the campaign's first day - has pledged a 15 per cent cut in packaging by 2011. Last month, our campaign received another boost when nine multinational grocery and household products manufacturers, including Nestle, Coca-Cola and Cadbury, signed the Courtauld Commitment, committing them to reduce packaging by 5 per cent by 2010.

The MORI poll found that shoppers wanted supermarkets to make it easier for people to behave ethically when loading their trolley. Three in five consumers (58 per cent) said they would chose one supermarket over another for environmental and social responsibility reasons, while 77 per cent expected to pay more as shops and manufacturers became more responsible.  Seven in 10 believed they would have to alter the way they live if the planet was to survive. The shoppers said sustainability was the key issue for supermarkets and retailers in the next couple of years, ahead of low prices.  Jane Robinson, from MORI,said three quarters of the public wanted the Government to force retailers to take their social and environmental responsibilities more seriously.

In a result echoing other research last week, she said that although many consumers were agitated by their day-to-day experience of the handling of environmental issues, they had not grasped the long-term implications of climate change.  "While they say climate change is important they don't make that link between it and food shortages and the transportation of food by aeroplane," she said of the poll, conducted online with a representative sample of 1,131 people aged 16-64.  "What surprised us was that, asked whether consumers would choose one retailer over another based on their green credentials, almost two-thirds said they would and were surprised it was that high."

Farah Nazeer, of the Women's Institute, urged readers to rate the supermarkets' performance on packaging. She said: "Following the packaging day of action in June, there have been a raft of supermarket announcements making certain cutbacks and changes on their packaging.  "Our members are saying that they are not seeing these announcements translating into their everyday shopping experiences and the survey is a way of following what supermarkets have done on the ground with the top 10 fresh products our members are concerned about. It's a good idea to sort the spin from the substance.

(By Martin Hickman, The Independent, 09/07/2007)