Tesco to ban brands that use excessive plastic packaging

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Tesco has pledged to ban any brands that use excessive packaging from its stores in a bid to reduce plastic waste.

On Wednesday, the supermarket announced the launch of the second phase of its “Remove, Reduce, Reuse & Recycle” plan which aims to remove hard-to-recycle materials from products.

Thanks to the scheme, Tesco will have removed 4,000 tonnes of hardest to recycle materials from its brand products by the end of the year and now it wants to work with brands to do the same.

In the new phase of its strategy, Tesco is assessing the size and suitability of all product packaging.

If any packaging is deemed excessive or inappropriate by the supermarket, it says it will reserve the right not to sell the products.

“From next year, we will assess packaging as part of our ranging decisions, and if it’s excessive or inappropriate, we reserve the right not to list it,” Dave Lewis, Tesco Group CEO, said in a statement.

Information shared at a meeting with Tesco and more than 1,500 of its suppliers included a case study from an unnamed crisp manufacturer showing the benefits of tackling excess packaging.

According to the supermarket, the manufacturer delivered a reduction of 5,000 tonnes in weight by reducing the size of packaging on multi-buy crisps by 23 per cent.

The change also saw a reduction of 50,000 less road miles as delivery pallets were packed more efficiently, reducing the number of lorry journeys required.

As part of its effort to tackle plastic waste, Tesco is also calling for the government to introduce a national collection and recycling infrastructure to deliver a closed loop for packaging.

“Without a national infrastructure, industry efforts to improve the recyclability of materials used in packaging will be a drop in the ocean,” Lewis added.

“In January 2018, we called on the government to introduce this infrastructure and offered to help, including giving space in our car parks for recycling and testing the collection of materials not currently recycled by local councils. That invitation stands and the need for action has never been more pressing.”

Tesco isn’t the only supermarket making efforts to reduce its impact on the environment.

Both Morrisons and Waitrose have trialled refill stations at selected stores which allow customers to buy packaging-free goods, including pasta, wine and cleaning materials.

Similarly, in 2018 Iceland pledged to eliminate all plastics in its own-brand products within five years.

Earlier this year, Sainsbury’s also announced that it plans to remove plastic bags for all loose fruit, veg and bakery items.