Tesco has removed one billion pieces of plastic from its UK business in just one year.

In early 2020, Tesco became the first UK retailer to remove plastic wrapped multipacks from its stores and sell loose cans at the same price, a change that has saved 67 million pieces of plastic annually. In July, Tesco launched an online shopping service with Loop that delivers groceries in reusable packaging throughout the country.

“Our own-label and branded suppliers have had a lot to contend with in 2020 so removing a billion pieces of plastic is fantastic progress. Our work to Remove, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle will continue into 2021 – there is no place for unnecessary or non-recyclable packaging in our business.”
Tesco quality director, Sarah Bradbury.

“Plastic pollution continues to be one of the most visible symptoms of the environmental crisis we’re currently facing. Businesses, governments and households have all got an important part to play, so it’s encouraging to see Tesco delivering against their commitments to significantly reduce the amount of plastic we use. We look forward to welcoming further initiatives of this scale in 2021 and beyond.”
Paula Chin, sustainable materials specialist, WWF.

Tesco has also met with 1,500 suppliers to let them know that packaging will form a key part of its decision-making process which determines what products are sold in stores. The retailer made it clear that it reserves the right to no longer stock products that use excessive packaging or hard to recycle materials.

Since the launch of the 4Rs strategy in August 2019, and in addition to Removing a billion pieces of plastic, Tesco has Reduced the size of its annual packaging footprint by 3,480 tonnes.