M&S defends new plastic toys giveaway after backlash

Marks and Spencer has defended its commitment to reducing plastic waste after customers criticised it for giving away toy versions of its products.

The supermarket chain’s 25 most shopped items have been turned into miniature collectables in a campaign called Little Shop.

But M&S says it is “committed to reducing” its use of plastic despite the new promotion.

Shoppers get one of the miniatures – which include a tiny bottle of milk, loaf of bread and even a Colin the Caterpillar cake – every time they spend £20 in an M&S Foodhall.

M&S says Little Shop collectables “can help your kids find out a bit more about where their food comes from, and why sustainability and balanced diets are important”.

However, several customers have criticised the promotion on social media, questioning how the giveaway fits into its commitment to reduce plastic waste.

One Twitter user wrote: “Can you explain? I have seen that they can be recycled into kids benches but why make them in the first place?! Stop using unnecessary plastic just to get sales! It’s utterly disgusting and HAS TO STOP.”

M&S responded by saying the company is “committed to reducing our use of plastic packaging and reusing or recycling any we do use”.

It added: “Little Shop collectables have all been designed to last and we’ve worked hard to ensure around a quarter of them are made from FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) certified card where possible. We’ve also ensured all single-use packaging is made from paper instead of plastic.”

The miniatures are made from a combination of cardboard, foil and plastic.

But M&S says they are “made to last and to be shared”.

However, it says unwanted collectables made from cardboard can be recycled at home, and the supermarket says it will recycle the plastic and foil collectables to help make children’s playground equipment as part of its plastic take-back scheme.

(c) Sky News 2019: M&S defends new plastic toys giveaway after backlash