The supermarket chain said that its own label crackers are now plastic-free for “the first time” and will include non-plastic presents, as well as transitioning to cardboard packaging.
The supermarket didn’t disclose the tonnages of plastic saved, but a similar initiative in January which saw 20 million pieces of plastic packaging removed from its multipack ranges saved 350 tonnes a year (see letsrecycle.com story).
Packaging
Christmas lights and Christmas cards will also be stored in recyclable cardboard packaging, and a layer of plastic has been removed from Christmas puddings and sponges.
Tesco says it has also stopped using glitter for all single-use products and packaging, to make wrapping paper, gift bags, cards and crackers more easily recyclable.
Research conducted by the supermarket chain found that 23% of people will reuse wrapping paper, while 19% will try to be more sustainable by not buying gifts, wrapping or decorations made of plastic.
Tesco quality director, Sarah Bradbury said: “It is an absolute priority of ours to remove and reduce the amount of plastic in our stores to the minimum and ensure everything we use is recycled and kept out of the environment – Christmas time is no exception and we want to do our bit to help customers have more sustainable celebrations.”
Commitment
Tesco has committed to removing one billion pieces of plastic from its own brand products by the end of 2020. It comes as part of the supermarkets 4R plan for packaging — Remove, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, which aims to remove plastic where possible.
The strategy will see Tesco remove “all excess and non-recyclable material from its business”.
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