Tesco asks suppliers to accelerate plans to tackle plastic waste

(Image: Malgosia Janicka, Shutterstock)

TESCO is to engage with suppliers in an attempt to accelerate its plans to tackle plastic waste.

As part of the supermarket’s 4Rs packaging strategy (remove, reduce, reuse, recycle) suppliers will be asked to accelerate progress and go further and faster in removing plastics where possible.

Since its launch in 2019, the strategy has seen alterations to the packaging of more than 1,500 different products and the removal of 1.6 billion pieces of unnecessary plastic – including multipacks, additional lids, films, and bags.

Tesco said that it is now seeking alternative solutions such as an increase in loose or unpackaged products, greater use of concentrates and reusable and refillable packaging.

Sarah Bradbury, group quality director at Tesco, said, “We’ve already made progress to minimise the environmental impact of our packaging, but we know there is more we can do with suppliers on the issue of plastic waste.

“We’re bringing suppliers together to work solutions because we are determined to go further and accelerate our progress, with a focus on the areas of greatest impact.

“We’re really grateful for the support and partnership of our suppliers on this important agenda, and we look forward to sharing more detail on our packaging strategy in the months ahead.”