Tesco has announced that it will scrap plastic-wrapped multipacks from its UK stores in a change that will remove 350 tonnes of plastic from the environment.
The company has pledged to replace plastic-wrapped multipacks with plastic-free multibuys on tinned food, meaning customers will still benefit from the multipack price but without the additional plastic.
Instead, tins will be available individually with no plastic wrap holding them together. The move will apply to all plastic-wrapped tinned multipacks such as baked beans, tuna and soup.
The pledge is part of Tesco’s plans to remove 1 billion pieces of plastic from its own-brand products by the end of 2020, which it announced in November 2019.
However, its latest move will also apply to branded products like Heinz Beanz and John West in addition to Tesco’s own brand products.
Georgiana de Noronha, president of Kraft Heinz Northern Europe, said: “We’re excited to be partnering with Tesco on this. While we know we have more to do, this initiative is good news for the environment, and for the millions of people who enjoy Heinz varieties every day, as they’ll still be able to benefit from the same great value for money.”
Considering more than 40% of Tesco customers include multipacks in their shop, the change will eliminate 67 million pieces of plastic from the environment.
Paula Chin, sustainable materials specialist at WWF, said: “WWF supports Tesco’s steps in the fight against plastic pollution. We need to remove unnecessary single-use plastic wherever possible, to stop the contamination of the natural world.”
Tesco’s 4Rs strategy – Remove, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – means it will remove non-recyclable and excess packaging from its business. In August last year, Tesco also briefed 1500 suppliers that packaging will be a factor in its decisions on which products are sold in its stores.
The move was first trialled with customers in Tesco’s Bar Hill Extra store.
It will now roll out across all Tesco stores in the UK from 2 March, with no further plastic-wrapped multipacks ordered by Tesco from that date. Remaining stock will be allowed to sell-through.