Challenge 54: Greenpeace UK maps out supermarket plastic reductions

03 Sep 2020 --- UK supermarkets could halve their plastic waste footprints by zeroing in on the 54 most problematic grocery products, a landmark Greenpeace report has revealed. The NGO urges supermarkets to eliminate all non-recyclable packaging, including laminates and films, and embrace reusable systems. From the 54 categories identified, transitioning to eco-friendly packaging in just 13 categories could reduce plastic by approximately 35 percent. The 13 categories are bottled water, fizzy drinks, milk, still drinks and fruit juices, household cleaning products, detergents and softeners, sports and energy drinks, rice, vegetables and salads, fruit, fruit juice, dilutables (cordials and squash drinks), and bath and shower products.

“For the first time, data specialists have mapped out where the greatest potential lies for drastically reducing the volume of plastic packaging going through our supermarket tills. It kick-starts one of the most important environmental questions of our time: How and where can we reduce throwaway packaging? And fast,” says Nina Schrank, Plastics Campaigner at Greenpeace UK.

The report, “Unpacked: How supermarkets can cut plastic packaging in half by 2025,” provides a unique sector-wide view for the estimated weight, sales units and number of plastic pieces in UK grocery shopping, and a model for how the country’s supermarkets could cut their plastic footprints by 50 percent by 2025.

Greenpeace estimates that just five product categories – bottled water, fizzy drinks, milk, vegetables and salads and wrapped fruit – contribute 247,000 tons of plastic packaging annually. If supermarkets follow the recommendations in the report for reducing the plastic on these five product categories alone, they could reduce their plastic footprints by 35 percent by 2025, 70 percent of the way to the 50 percent reduction target.In 2019, EIA reported that plastic packaging sold by major UK supermarkets continues to increase at alarming rates.

A reusable way forward
The NGO recommends that at least 25 percent of the plastic reduction gains are met by reusable packaging systems. Supermarkets are advised to develop in-store and home delivery reuse options for the major categories identified. The report pegs Terracycle’s zero waste e-commerce platform Loop as a pioneering model. In July, Loop initiated Phase Two of its pilot Loop process with UK supermarket Tesco: retailer integration.

“The challenge to change our plastic habits, move to widespread reuse and refill systems, and turn the tide on plastic pollution, is vast. It will not be easy but it will be possible, and we think UK supermarkets can do it,” notes Schrank.

The report encourages eliminating all non-recyclable packaging, including laminates and films, and ending UK sales of single-use water bottles. Supermarkets should promote concentrates and naked products, sell and promote at-home water carbonating devices and support the national water refills network by offering free refills in-store for customers.

“Supply chains are often shared – we all need to do better on cutting plastic packaging and that starts with accepting and acknowledging the scale of the challenge,” says Stuart Lendrum, Head of Packaging, Quality and Food Safety at Iceland. “Despite COVID-19, we’re maintaining our commitment to eliminate our own label plastic packaging by the end of 2023. We’ve already reduced our own label plastic packaging by 29 percent and we’re committed to doing our bit to help create a stronger, more resilient, greener and healthier economy.”

Despite COVID-19, Iceland is committed to eliminating its own label plastic packaging by 2023.In August, UK supermarket Asda launched its first fully recyclable blueberry punnet and film lid, equating to an estimated 5.5 million recyclable packs annually. Asda also announced a trial on several other fresh punnets, including grapes and tomatoes, after a company survey found that 94 percent of customers said that they felt personally responsible for recycling.

Meanwhile, Morrisons is set to recall its plastic checkout bags – coined “bags for life” and employ “sturdy” paper alternatives. The move comes as the UK government announces plans to extend the single-use carrier bag charge to smaller retailers and increase the levy to 10p from April 2021. The latest government statistics show the current levy, which stands at 5p and applies to any retailer employing 250 or more people, has led to a 95 percent cut in plastic bag sales in major supermarkets since 2015.

Government incentivization
The forthcoming Environment Bill is an opportunity for the government to take meaningful action on plastic pollution and set legally-binding targets for retailers to reduce single-use plastics by 50 percent by 2025, Greenpeace states.

Ministers should put tax discounts in place for producers and retailers that sell their products in reusable and refillable packaging to incentivize the transition to reuse systems, the NGO adds. This strategy would enable all retailers to benefit from rolling out reuse systems regardless of financial power or control through own-brand products.

The report recommends eliminating all non-recyclable packaging, including laminates and films.The government should also make plastic producers fully responsible for the escalating volumes of single-use plastic packaging they are producing, Greenpeace continues. New Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation should incentivize reuse by ensuring producers cover the full costs of disposing their waste while structuring the costs producers are asked to pay, so they pay lower costs for using reusable products.

Leading UK waste management authorities including Veolia, the Environmental Services Association (ESA) and the National Association of Waste Disposal Officers (NAWDO) offered support for the proposed UK Plastics Tax after the consultation period closed in August. The government proposed a £200 (US$263) per ton tax rate for plastic packaging with less than 30 percent recycled content that will take effect from April 2022.

“Supermarkets are busily completing our annual survey about their progress in reducing single-use and other unnecessary plastics from their operations, and later this year the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Greenpeace will report back on progress,” notes Christina Dixon, Senior Oceans Campaigner at EIA.

“The last two years have shown a year on year increase in the plastic footprints of UK supermarkets so we’d love to see some meaningful reductions that match the level of ambition required to radically reduce the amount of plastic pollution in our environment. A key priority for us is transparency and ensuring we get accurate data from supermarkets that truly reflect the scale of the challenge we are facing.”

On the current trajectory, annual global flows of plastic into the ocean could nearly triple by 2040, equating to 29 million metric tons of plastic leakage at the cost of US$100 billion to the global economy. This is according to a groundbreaking report by The Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ, which employed a comprehensive plastic system modeling tool to create a global analysis that evaluates various strategies to reduce ocean plastic flows and quantifies the associated economic, environmental and social implications of each pathway.

By Joshua Poole