Supermarket giant Asda has taken a step towards a greener future with the opening of a new sustainability trial store that aims to save one million pieces of plastic per year.
The new store in Middleton, Leeds, is designed to help shoppers reduce, reuse and recycle with ease, with a promise from Asda that customers will not pay more for greener options.
The initiative sees the UK’s third biggest supermarket partner with popular household brands to allow customers to refill containers with some of the nation’s favourite products, whilst over 50 lines of fresh produce will now be sold without any wrapping.
Asda – who unveiled a new plastics reduction strategy at the launch – estimates the numerous initiatives being trialled in the store will save one million pieces of plastic per year.
Those elements of the trial that appeal most to customers could be rolled out to more locations as early as next year, provided they can be developed to scale.
Features of the new trial store include:
- Refill stations with more than 30 household staples sold in refillable format
- Featured brands include Kellogg’s cereals, PG Tips tea bags, Lavazza coffee, Persil laundry detergent, Radox shower gel and Asda’s own brand rice and pasta
- 53 lines of fresh produce (including 29 new lines) sold in loose and unwrapped format
- Recycling facilities catering for difficult-to-recycle items, such as crisp and biscuit packets, plastic toys, cosmetic containers and toothpaste tubes
- Asda’s first reverse vending machine for cans, plastic and glass drinks bottles
Asda CEO and president Roger Burnley said the move marked an “important milestone” as the company tackles plastic pollution and “help customers to reduce, re-use and recycle”.
“We have always known that we couldn’t go on this journey alone, so it is fantastic to work in tandem with more than 20 of our partners and suppliers, who have answered the call to test innovative sustainable solutions with us,” said Burnley.
“This is an issue that matters greatly to our customers. We want to give them the opportunity to live more sustainably by offering them great product choices and value, underpinned by a promise that they won’t pay more for greener options at Asda.”
Nina Schrank, lead plastics campaigner at Greenpeace UK, welcomed the move.
“By offering innovative refill stations, loose fruit and vegetables and plenty of sustainably sourced household goods, Asda have bought what used to be a niche shopping experience into the mainstream, all under one roof,” she said.
“We hope that this store is the first of many; we need to see so much more of this from across the supermarket sector.”
Image courtesy of Asda.
