Parsons, R. orcid.org/0000-0003-2169-7639 (2022) The role of plastic packaging in transforming food retailing. British Food Journal, 124 (4). pp. 1285-1300. ISSN 0007-070X
Abstract
Purpose: Whilst plastic packaging has recently been critiqued for its detrimental effects on the environment, it is largely overlooked in histories of food retailing. This paper presents a historical perspective on plastic packaging, highlighting its role in transforming UK food retailing throughout the middle to late twentieth century.
Design/methodology/approach: This paper is based on an analysis of the Marks & Spencer Company Archive, supplemented by company histories and biographical sources. Three examples were purposively selected based on their technologically innovative role in maintaining and enhancing Marks & Spencer's core values.
Findings: The analysis highlights plastic packaging's significance in enabling Marks & Spencer's product development process whilst maintaining and enhancing the company's core values of standards, quality, safety, freshness, hygiene and convenience. The examples demonstrate the role of plastics in technological innovation, achieving key commercial objectives in product development and contributing to the transformation of food retailing.
Research limitations/implications: The research focuses on three specific examples of packaging innovation, drawing out their wider implications for socio-technical change in UK food retailing.
Originality/value: This historical research suggests that greater attention should be paid to plastic packaging including its material properties and the services it provides, moving beyond a blanket condemnation by acknowledging its multiple affordances in the food sector. These historical insights are instructive when thinking about the future of retailing and shopping in the context of the need for better environmental outcomes.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 Emerald Publishing Ltd. This is an author-produced version of a paper subsequently published in British Food Journal. This version is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial Licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. You may not use the material for commercial purposes. |
Keywords: | Socio-technical innovation; Food retailing; Plastic; Packaging; Marks & Spencer; Organizational research |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Geography (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 20 Aug 2021 07:59 |
Last Modified: | 10 Mar 2022 15:25 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Emerald |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1108/BFJ-04-2021-0407 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:177159 |
Downloads
Filename: The role of plastic packaging in transforming food retailing_accepted.pdf
Licence: CC-BY-NC 4.0