Tesco ditches plastic wrap on multipack tins
Tesco is set to remove all plastic wrapping from its multipack tins in a bid to cut down on waste, a step it says will remove 350 tonnes of plastic per year from the environment.
The supermarket giant has teamed up with brands including Heinz and Green giant to replace single-use plastic wrap on multipacks of tins with multi-buy offers, which Tesco says will remove 67 million pieces of plastic.
The changes will apply to both branded and Tesco own brand products, the supermarket said.
“We are removing all unnecessary and non-recyclable plastic from Tesco,” said chief executive Dave Lewis.
“As part of this work, removing plastic wrapped multipacks from every Tesco store in the UK will cut 350 tonnes of plastic from the environment every year and customers will still benefit from the same great value ‘multipack’ price.”
According to Tesco, the move is the first of its kind by a major UK retailer. Over 40 per cent of Tesco customers buy tinned multipacks, it said, with 183,000 sold at its stores every day.
Supermarkets have come under increasing pressure from shoppers and campaigners to cut down on plastic waste.
Last year, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Asda, and Morrison’s all pledged to remove hard-to-recycle black plastics from their shelves.
Wildlife conservation group WWF welcomed Tesco’s announcement.
“WWF supports Tesco’s steps in the fight against plastic pollution,” said Paula Chin, a sustainable materials specialist at the organisation.
“We need to remove unnecessary single-use plastic wherever possible, to stop the contamination of the natural world. If we want to protect nature we need more businesses to follow Tesco’s lead, before we run out of time to fight for our world.”
“Removing unnecessary single-use plastic from packaging is a good step towards helping cut waste,” said Charles Stanley investment analyst Rob Morgan.
“Realistically, it is not possible to eliminate the use of plastic, though, so the development of a ‘circular economy’ that recycles or repurposes more material is necessary. Investors can help by challenging packaging and consumer companies on this issue.”