WAITROSE has announced it is to end the use of multi-buy shrink wrap on millions of own label tinned grocery products.
The plastic wrap used to keep three or four cans attached for convenience but can’t always be recycled. The supermarket said 45 tonnes of single use plastic will be saved a year as a result of the removal of the wrap.
The move comes at a time of record sales of tinned food for Waitrose, with the supermarket saying that many sales of products are up by 50% compared to last year – with customers stocking up on cupboard staples due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Claire Mitchell, canned food buyer at Waitrose & Partners, said, “Our essential Waitrose tinned food has been selling in record numbers  since March and we want to ensure that we can continue to give customers the best quality and value, without passing on the plastic on such popular products.
“Our customers expect us to keep tackling plastic, which includes eliminating single use shinkwrap on our multibuys. This is a significant step towards our plan to phase out non-recyclable plastic from all our packaging by 2021.”
