Tesco launches zero-waste trials in stores
Tesco has launched zero-waste shopping trials at ten stores where customers can buy goods in reusable packaging so they can be returned and used again, in partnership with Loop, a waste management company.
Customers shopping in the ten Tesco stores, all in the east of England where the initiative is being tested, will be able to choose products from well-known household brands such as Persil and Tetley Tea, as well as Tesco’s own brand essential items.
The 88 products Tesco has launched the trial with to begin with, will be sold in reusable packaging.
The launch follows an online pilot that lasted a year where customers ordered products to their home and returned packaging without needing to step outside.
The trial is part of the supermarket’s efforts to address a consumer trend towards less single-use plastic packaging.
The impact of switching just three items of the weekly shop could be enormous, Tesco said in a statement. The packaging from three products alone could be used and reused more than 2.5m times a year.
Tesco’s CEO Ken Murphy said the supermarket was “determined to tackle plastic waste”.
“With 88 everyday products available, we’re giving customers a wide range of options and,” he added, “we’ll learn as much as we can from this to inform our future packaging plans.”