Marks & Spencer launches plastic packaging-free fruit and vegetable trial to try and cut plastic waste
Marks & Spencer launched a trial today of plastic packaging-free fruit and vegetables at its Tolworth store as it moves to cut the amount of plastic it uses.
The retailer said it had introduced trained greengrocers to advise customers on the over 90 lines of loose fruit and vegetables it was selling from two aisles.
The range includes hard fruit and vegetables like bananas and potatoes and more perishable items, such as berries which will be sold in compostable punnets.
The retailer has removed “best before” date labels from fresh fruit and vegetables as part of the store trial.
M&S has also committed to launching additional lines of loose produce and more sustainable alternatives to plastic in every UK store.
It says it could save 580 tonnes of plastic waste over two years with a plan to replace plastic bags with paper ones and phase out plastic barcode stickers in favour of eco-friendly alternatives.
Louise Nicholls, head of food sustainability at M&S, said: “We’re proud to launch a series of market-leading initiatives to help our customers take home less plastic.
"We know our customers want to play their part in cutting out plastic, while as a business our goal is to become zero-waste by 2025. That’s why we’re working hard to reduce the amount of plastic packaging we use without compromising on food quality and contributing to waste.”