TESCO has announced it is to alter the packaging of its own label hard cheeses in a move which it says will save 260 tonnes of plastic per year.
The saving has been made by switching from the traditional square block shape to oblong packaging and also by removing the resealable zip.
The 260t saving will also be achieved through the removal of plastic trays that Tesco’s cheeses are delivered with. Instead, they will now be sent in a new cardboard shelf-ready format.
Tesco cheese buying manager Peter Wood said, “This is a revolutionary move for the UK cheese industry because the iconic square shaped cheese packs have been around for decades. By changing the pack shape and also removing the re-sealable zip we will be able to reduce plastic packaging on our brand hard cheeses by up to 41 per cent against the former product, depending on the size of the block.
“Another benefit to customers is that these new chunkier pack sizes are easier to handle so cutting, grating and slicing will be simpler.”
