Day 059 - 01 Dec 94 - Page 53


     
     1   Q.   You said that they were now made of, what was it, stainless
     2        steel?
     3        A.  Stainless steel tanks, yes, about the size of you would
     4        expect to see of an emersion heater in a domestic home.
     5
     6   Q.   Are there in any other, what I might call, economies of
     7        scale which you have been able to achieve?
     8        A.  Yes.  Milk shake mix at one time was delivered in a bag
     9        inside a cardboard box and today is delivered in a bag in a
    10        returnable crate.
    11
    12   Q.   You have told us about the reduction in the area of the
    13        napkin.  Are there any other items or categories in which
    14        you have been able to achieve any reductions in overall
    15        weight or volume of packaging?
    16        A.  Yes, I cannot be specific on this, but there are many
    17        outer cases that have been reduced in weight down to a
    18        point where the case is still strong enough to adequately
    19        contain the product inside it.  But a lot of source
    20        reduction has happened in outer packaging, in particular.
    21
    22   Q.   Again I ask you this, have those savings, if I may call
    23        them that, been significant in terms of packaging and waste
    24        reduction or not?
    25        A.  Yes.
    26
    27   Q.   Overall?
    28        A.  Yes, they have been very significant.
    29
    30   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  That is improved technology, is it, or is it
    31        the result of an urge to cut down?
    32        A.  To be honest, my Lord, many things happen in industry
    33        that have happened in the same way for a very long time.  A
    34        lot of the packaging, for example, or pesticides used on
    35        growing products, a lot of those areas, if you ask people
    36        why they did this, they would say:  "Because we have always
    37        done it this way" and when you can show them a better way
    38        that still gets the end result that you want and uses less
    39        material or less pesticide or less fertilizer, after you
    40        can prove it to them, they will readily accept, but until
    41        then they are happy to go along as they have always gone
    42        along because they know that is a safe way to go.
    43
    44   MR. RAMPTON:  You said that Perseco, I do not know quite, a flag
    45        bearer perhaps, would be the right word, I do not know, in
    46        getting suppliers to think about these sorts of problems so
    47        far as packaging is concerned?
    48        A.  Yes.
    49
    50   Q.   You mentioned a moment ago pesticides.  Does this question 
    51        of pesticides have any impact on, for example, your 
    52        potatoes? 
    53        A.  Yes, it does.
    54
    55   Q.   In what way?
    56        A.  Some four years ago McDonald's in Europe, not just in
    57        the UK, but in Europe, took a decision that we would look
    58        at the amount of pesticides and fertilizers being used to
    59        grow McDonald's potatoes.  As we thought that this could be
    60        become an environmental issue in the future, having taken a

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