Day 061 - 05 Dec 94 - Page 03
1 issues, you said you had something to say about the 100 per
2 cent paper bags?
3 A. Mr. Rampton did, yes, that is right. I spoke with the
4 buyer concerned at McDonald's office and also with the
5 buyer concerned at Perseco, and I was told by the buyer
6 concerned at McDonald's office (from whom I obtained the
7 information of 100 per cent unbleached and recycled) that,
8 in fact, at the time he gave me the information that was
9 correct. I asked him what he meant by that, and he said
10 several years ago -- and I said: "Could you be more
11 specific than 'several years ago'?" And he said: "In 1991
12 we did put 100 per cent bleached (sic) and recycled
13 material bags into the restaurants".
14
15 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Did you mean bleached and recycled or
16 unbleached?
17 A. Sorry, unbleached and recycled bags into the
18 restaurants and, in fact, the supplier had so many
19 complaints that the bags were splitting he had to withdraw
20 them after a while. It was not a test in the restaurants.
21 It actually went out into the market. He had so many
22 complaints he had withdraw them and revert back to "between
23 80 and 90 per cent", were his words. That depends on the
24 quality of the recycled material available at a point in
25 time.
26
27 I asked him what the current position was today. He said
28 that is still the current position today, but in March 1995
29 technology has moved on, the supplier has new equipment, he
30 has access to better raw materials, recycled raw materials
31 and, in fact, in March 1995 he will be putting back 100 per
32 cent unbleached and recycled bags into the restaurants.
33 So, the statement at the time I was given it, was correct;
34 it was not correct when I was answering you on Friday.
35
36 MR. MORRIS: Did you check out the figure the supplier gave you
37 with anybody else in the company?
38 A. Which figure?
39
40 Q. Over the weekend. You said the 100 per cent figure you
41 checked with the supplier; did you check with anybody else?
42 A. No, I did not check with the supplier. I checked with
43 the McDonald's buyer and the Perseco buyer.
44
45 Q. Who was that?
46 A. Paul Edwards -- he is the McDonald's buyer.
47
48 Q. That is what he told you then, the 100 per cent?
49 A. At the time -- he actually gave me the figures
50 originally when I put the statement together.
51
52 Q. Right. Did you check out with anybody else?
53 A. I checked with Perseco. The gentleman concerned who
54 was Purchasing Manager for Perseco at the time is no longer
55 with Perseco, and they were not able to find any
56 information from anyone else.
57
58 Q. Paul Edwards works for McDonald's, does he?
59 A. He does, yes.
60
