Tesco to scrap plastic packaging from fresh produce

Supermarket Tesco is set to scrap plastic packaging from fruits and vegetables and has informed suppliers to either supply vegetables loose or in recyclable or compostable packets.

Apples, bananas, broccoli and cucumber will be among the first to be sold without plastic wrapping, reports said, with aubergines, avocados, carrots, onions and peppers to be joining the list soon.

Tesco said it was urging suppliers to “accelerate progress” and to “go further and faster in removing plastic” where alternatives were possible.

The supermarket chain wants to remove all plastic wrappers from 5 billion items sold by 2025.

This represents a huge acceleration of its ‘4Rs’ (remove, reduce, reuse, recycle) strategy, which in February it said had removed 1.6 billion pieces of plastic across 1,500 different lines since it launched in 2019.

Apart from reducing plastic from packaging, Tesco is also pressing ahead with stocking more products that can be refilled by consumers who bring their own containers into stores, reports said.

“We’ve already made progress to minimise the environmental impact of our packaging, but we know there is more we can do with suppliers on the issue of plastic waste,” reports quoted Tesco group quality director Sarah Bradbury.

“We’re bringing suppliers together to work on solutions because we are determined to go further and accelerate our progress, with a focus on the areas of greatest impact.”

Tesco was the first supermarket to stop selling plastic bags, and last month also vowed not to sell plastic baby wipes in pledge to help the environment.