M&S launches plastic-free fruit and vegetable aisle in bid to become “zero-waste” by 2025

18 Jan 2019 --- British retailer and supermarket Marks & Spencer (M&S) has removed plastic packaging and “best before” stickers from over 90 lines of fruit and vegetables in a trial at its Tolworth, UK, store. The initiative supports M&S’ target of becoming a zero-waste business by 2025. The retailer has already phased out 75 million pieces of plastic cutlery given out in its stores each year and replaced two million straws with paper alternatives as part of its plastics plan, which aims to remove 1,000 tons of plastic packaging by Spring 2019.

The move builds on the numerous advances made in the UK last year to cut down the levels of plastic waste generated by supermarkets. During the holiday period, for example, the government launched a consultation to increase the 5p plastic bag charge to 10p and to extend the scheme to all retailers in the nation.

To support the trial, M&S has introduced trained greengrocers who will be on hand to offer customers valuable advice as they select from two aisles of fruit and vegetables free of plastic packaging. The range not only includes hard fruit and veg such as potatoes and bananas but also more perishable items such as soft fruits and berries, which will be retailed in compostable punnets.

In addition to helping customers pick and weigh their products, the greengrocers will provide tips on how to best preserve fresh produce and prevent food waste at home, as M&S has removed “best before” date labels from fresh fruit and veg as part of the store trial.

If launched in every UK store, the initiative could reportedly help cut 580 tons of plastic waste over two years. The plan will involve replacing plastic produce bags with paper ones and phasing out plastic barcode stickers in favor of eco-friendly alternatives.

“We’re proud to launch a series of market-leading initiatives to help our customers take home less plastic. We know our customers want to play their part in cutting out plastic, while our goal as a business is to become zero-waste by 2025. That’s why we’re working hard to reduce the amount of plastic packaging we use without compromising on food quality and contributing to waste,” says Louise Nicholls, Head of Food Sustainability at M&S.

“Our trial at Tolworth is an important milestone in our plastic reduction journey and bringing back the traditional greengrocer will play a key part in educating our customers. Our plan is to create long-term impact using tangible insights from the Tolworth store trial,” she adds.

Last week, UK supermarket Waitrose announced that it has ceased using black plastic to package hundreds of its own-label products. It plans to completely eradicate hard-to-recycle black plastics from own-label products by the end of 2019. Waitrose is also encouraging customers to bring reusable containers to the supermarket’s fresh service counters to minimize the use of plastic bags. 

In a similar move, UK supermarket chain Morrisons announced in June 2018 that shoppers who bring their own plastic containers to the meat and fish counter will be rewarded with 100 loyalty card points, the equivalent of 10p.