Tesco unboxes toothpaste in cardboard waste reduction drive

30 Sep 2022 --- Tesco has started a pilot to eliminate unnecessary toothpaste packaging in the UK. The trial, which launched on September 21, aims to determine how consumers react when branded toothpaste is no longer offered in its traditional cardboard box.

The first step was taken last November when the British multinational grocery and general merchandise retailer scrapped these cardboard cartons for its own brand of toothpaste. This action will result in the annual saving of more than 55 metric tons of cardboard.

Although this statistic seems prominent, Innova Market Insights unveils that nearly 40% of UK consumers consider cardboard an environmentally sustainable packaging material, which could lead to less support for the trial, or at the very least, indifference.

Nevertheless, the brand claims it was pleased with consumers’ reaction to the Tesco brand toothpaste packaging changes. “We made a bold move to remove unneeded toothpaste boxes last November on our own brand and have had positive feedback from customers. Now we are working with the major toothpaste brands to join us on this journey” Felicity Bexton, Tesco Oral Care buyer, says.

Less transportation
Nearly 30 Tesco locations in the UK will host the pilot. Major toothpaste manufacturers, including Colgate, Oral B, Sensodyne, Aquafresh and Corsadyl will be included.

Tesco will sell toothpaste tubes withouttubes lose without the exterior cardboard package.If customers respond favorably, boxless toothpaste will subsequently be introduced in further Tesco locations, potentially saving 680 metric tons of cardboard annually.

The focus, however, is not merely on the amount of cardboard saved. Decreasing the production of this material abates carbon emissions and according to Bexton, “it also means being able to transport more tubes in the same amount of space, helping us take delivery lorries off the road too.”

Elucidating wastefulness, Bexton adds that “we think that for customers the move makes sense because the first thing they do when they buy toothpaste is throw the packaging box away.”

Waste reduction at the forefront
This project is a component of Tesco’s 4Rs packaging policy ( remove, reduce, reuse, recycle), which was developed to address the effects of packaging waste. Tesco has decreased the amount of packaging it uses annually by more than 3,000 metric tons since the 4Rs policy was introduced in August 2019.

Recently, the grocery chain endeavored to save 45 million pieces of hard-to-recycle plastic annually by cutting plastic in multi-pack drinks. Tesco removed the multipack wrap from many of its own brand food and drinks and offered individual cans at the same price per unit as a part of a multi-buy promotion. 

The brand claims this multi-buy option gives customers more freedom as they are now able to mix and match flavors, including lemonade, cola, ginger beer, soda and tonic water.

By Mieke Meintjes