Tesco to ditch plastic-wrapped multipack tins to slash packaging
Written by News on 24/01/2020
Tesco is to stop selling shrink-wrapped multipack tins in a move it says will save the environment from 350 tonnes of plastic a year.
The supermarket giant has teamed up with the likes of Heinz and Green Giant to remove the polluting single-use packaging and instead offer multi-buy deals.
The switchover will apply to all tinned foods, including baked beans, soup and tinned tomatoes.
Tesco is to roll out the changes from the start of March, with no more plastic-wrapped multipacks being ordered from then onwards, although it will continue to sell off its remaining stocks.
The retailer said it will remove 67 million pieces of plastic from its stores, helping it achieve its goal of cutting one billion pieces from its own products by the end of the year.
More than 40% of Tesco customers buy tinned multipacks, with 183,000 sold across its stores every day.
More than 100 million Heinz products alone are sold in plastic-wrapped multipacks each year through Tesco.
Heinz said it is looking at similar initiatives with other retailers.
Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis said: “We are removing all unnecessary and non-recyclable plastic from Tesco.
“As part of this work, removing plastic-wrapped multipacks from every Tesco store in the UK will cut 350 tonnes of plastic from the environment every year and customers will still benefit from the same great value ‘multipack’ price.”
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Georgiana de Noronha, president of Kraft Heinz in northern Europe, said: “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 our multipacks provide.”
At the end of last year, Tesco removed all hard-to-recycle materials from its own-brand products and is working with suppliers to do the same.
The group has also warned 1,500 suppliers that packaging will be a deciding factor on which products are sold in its stores.
Sky’s Ocean Rescue campaign encourages people to reduce their single-use plastics. You can find out more about the campaign and how to get involved at www.skyoceanrescue.com
(c) Sky News 2020: Tesco to ditch plastic-wrapped multipack tins to slash packaging
