Tesco has announced it has removed over 20 million pieces of plastic from its Christmas range this year.
Its crackers, lights, cards and puddings have all been produced using less single use plastic, Tesco says. The supermarket has also stopped using glitter for all single use products and packaging.
Amongst measures, Tesco reveals that its own label crackers are plastic-free for the first time, cutting over 14 million pieces of plastic. And, the retailer said its packs of Christmas cards are now sold in recyclable cardboard boxes, saving 4.6 million pieces of plastic a year.
The move comes as part of the Tesco’s 4Rs packaging strategy: ‘To Remove it where it can. Reduce where it can’t. Reuse more. Recycle what’s left.’
According to Tesco, its recent research found that three quarters (74 per cent) of consumers will have sustainability in mind when making purchasing decisions – an increase of 36 per cent year-on-year. The research also found that 51 per cent of the nation will reuse old Christmas decorations, a third (32 per cent) will only buy loose fruit and veg to reduce plastic packaging. Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) will reuse wrapping paper while 19 per cent 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.”
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