UK’s largest retailer has removed two billion pieces of plastic from its business
Tesco has announced the removal of two billion pieces of plastic from its UK business in the last four years.
The UK’s largest supermarket launched its 4Rs packaging strategy – which stands for Remove, Reduce, Re-use, Recycle – in 2019.
Since then, the retail giant has made many changes to its packaging range, including switching its own-brand laundry packaging from plastic to cardboard and running a year-long reusable packaging trial.
Tesco says that it has removed 500 million pieces of unnecessary plastic from its stores in the last 12 months alone, including:
- 30 million plastic yoghurt lids
- 29 million pieces of plastic from its limescale tablet packaging
- Nearly 24 million plastic windows from its doughnut packaging
- Nearly nine million pieces of plastic from its nappy packaging
Tesco’s responsible sourcing director Kené Umeasiegbu said: “We all have a responsibility to take care of our planet and removing unnecessary plastic is an important way that Tesco can reduce its environmental impact.
“As well as taking action in our own operations, we want to work with the whole industry to continue to build on the progress we’ve made to Remove, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle more.”
Tesco’s reusable packaging trial – run in conjunction with Loop – was the UK’s largest trial of its kind, allowing customers in 10 Tesco stores to purchase over 150 product lines in reusable packaging.
The trial ended in July 2022 with a report calling for greater collaboration across the industry to scale the reusable packaging market.
The 2022 report said: “no single retailer or supplier can move the market on their own”, adding that both “need help to work together in a competitive space with a backdrop of competition law on reuse”, finding ways to “give products in reusable packaging price parity with their single use alternatives”.
In a new 2023 report on their 4Rs strategy – entitled “Working together to tackle problem plastic and packaging” – Tesco has further outlined efforts required by retailers, industry and government to help transform the UK’s approach to packaging. Ideas include:
- Creating a level playing field for removing packaging in produce
- Supporting government efforts to introduce consistent kerbside recycling across the UK
- Ensuring deposit return schemes are viable and sustainable
Image courtesy of Tesco.
