Ethan Clarke
Tesco has been working to reduce its plastic waste and packaging since 2018. In 2021, Tesco expanded its soft plastic collection scheme to all large Tesco stores in the UK, allowing customers to recycle soft plastics, such as plastic bags, food wrap, and crisp packets, which are not collected from homes by most local councils. The supermarket chain has also removed hard-to-recycle plastics from its own-brand products and set a target to remove a billion pieces of plastic from its business by 2020, which it successfully achieved. However, Tesco has faced challenges in ensuring that all plastic packaging is recycled responsibly, with some plastic waste ending up in landfills or being burned. Despite these setbacks, Tesco remains committed to minimizing single-use plastic and ensuring that all its packaging can be recycled.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Plastic Recycling Scheme | Tesco has a soft plastic recycling scheme in all its large stores in the UK |
| Plastic Types | Clear film used to wrap meat and fish, crisp packets, bread bags, salad bags, fruit and veg bags, sweet wrappers, plastic bags, food wrap, and Tesco-branded bags |
| Plastic Collection | Tesco expects to collect more than 1,000 tonnes of soft plastic a year |
| Plastic Recycling | Tesco works with a recycling partner to ensure that as much of the collected material as possible is made back into products and packaging sold in its stores |
| Plastic Recycling Process | Tesco oversees the process of collection, transportation, and recycling to minimize the environmental impact of the material |
| Plastic Recycling Challenges | Soft plastics are hard to recycle, and there are challenges associated with recycling soft plastic materials |
| Plastic Recycling Controversy | There have been controversies around Tesco's plastic recycling scheme, with Bloomberg conducting an investigation that revealed a "messy reality" of plastic waste |
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What You'll Learn
Tesco's soft plastic recycling scheme
Tesco has been working to cut down on packaging and plastic waste. In 2018, the company committed to removing the hardest-to-recycle plastics from its own-brand product packaging by the end of 2019, a goal it successfully achieved. In 2019, Tesco also set a target to remove a billion pieces of plastic from its business by the end of 2020, which it also accomplished.
Tesco has now expanded its soft plastic collection scheme to all of its large UK stores. The collection points allow customers to recycle all soft plastics, such as the clear film used to wrap meat and fish, crisp packets, bread bags, salad bags, fruit and vegetable bags, sweet wrappers, and plastic bags and food wrap. The supermarket has said that it will work with its recycling partner to ensure that as "much of this material as possible" is made back into products and packaging sold in its stores. Tesco has also said that it directs and monitors the collected material to selected recyclers and works with partners to bring it back into its supply chain wherever possible.
The soft plastic collection scheme was first trialled in-store at ten Tesco stores in 2020, during which customers returned more than ten times the expected amount of plastic. In March 2021, Tesco began adding the recycling points to 171 stores across Wales and the South West of England. The points were well-received by customers, with 85% of those using the 171 stores in Wales and the South-West saying the facility helped them recycle more, and the majority finding it convenient. Following this positive feedback, Tesco announced that it would be rolling out the scheme to all of its large UK stores in August 2021. The supermarket expects to collect and recycle around 1,000 tonnes of plastics annually under the scheme.
However, Tesco has faced some criticism regarding its soft plastic recycling scheme. In 2022, Bloomberg conducted an investigation in which it placed tiny digital trackers inside three used plastic items deposited in Tesco's recycle collection bins. The investigation revealed that while some of the rubbish was recycled, the rest was burned or shipped off to an uncertain fate.
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Plastic waste management
Tesco, the UK's largest supermarket, has been at the forefront of plastic waste management. The company introduced a soft plastic recycling scheme in its larger stores across the UK. Tesco's 4Rs initiative stands for Remove, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. The company has successfully removed hard-to-recycle plastics from its own-brand product packaging and eliminated a billion pieces of plastic from its business by the end of 2020. Tesco has also removed cartons from its own-brand toothpastes, reduced plastic from frozen fish packaging, and introduced refill options for cleaning spray bottles.
However, Tesco's efforts have also faced scrutiny. An expose by Bloomberg revealed that the fate of some plastic waste collected by Tesco was uncertain, with some ending up in Poland, burned, or shipped off. Despite this, Tesco maintains its commitment to minimizing single-use plastic and ensuring all its packaging can be recycled.
To address the global plastic crisis, it is crucial to focus on both waste management and reduction in plastic generation. The Basel Convention provides key guidance for better management, and international cooperation is vital to tackle this issue.
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Tesco's eco pledge
Tesco has also been working to reduce plastic packaging. In 2018, the company achieved its target of removing the hardest-to-recycle plastics from its own-brand product packaging. It has also removed plastic trays from its pre-packed chicken, saving 14.2 million pieces a year, and reduced plastic from its frozen fish packaging, saving 23 tonnes a year. In 2019, Tesco set a goal to remove 1 billion pieces of plastic from its business by the end of 2020, and successfully achieved this target.
In addition to its removal and reduction efforts, Tesco has been encouraging customers to reuse and recycle. The company has introduced soft plastic recycling points in all its large UK stores, where customers can recycle items such as salad bags, crisp packets, and plastic bags. Tesco has also partnered with other companies to bring recycled soft plastic back into its supply chain. For example, some of the collected soft plastics have been recycled into food-grade packaging for Tesco's own-brand cheeses.
Despite these efforts, Tesco's eco pledge has been criticised for falling short of its goals. An investigation by Bloomberg revealed that some of the plastic collected in Tesco's recycling bins ended up at the margins of European waste management, with some being recycled, burned, or shipped off to an uncertain fate. Tesco has responded to these allegations by stating that it takes any suggestions that the waste they send for recycling is going to landfill very seriously and is undertaking its own audit of the supplier.
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Tesco's 4Rs strategy
The primary goal of Tesco's 4Rs strategy is to eliminate unnecessary packaging. By identifying and removing materials that do not add value, Tesco reduces waste at its source. For packaging that cannot be completely removed, Tesco focuses on reduction, using fewer materials and designing packaging that uses minimal resources while maintaining product integrity. This has led to lighter, more efficient packaging that reduces environmental impact.
A critical component of the strategy is reuse. Tesco has implemented comprehensive recycling programs in its stores and encourages customers to participate actively. Tesco aims to make recycling easy and accessible for everyone, contributing to a circular economy where materials are continually reused and repurposed. The company is committed to creating a system where single-use plastic is minimized, and all packaging can be recycled.
Tesco has made significant progress in removing plastic from its stores, eliminating over 1 billion pieces of plastic by the end of 2021. The company has removed plastic films from multi-packs, trays from pre-packed chicken, and cartons from own-brand toothpastes, reducing plastic usage and waste. Tesco is also working with suppliers to remove plastic from branded products and has launched its own-brand refills for cleaning spray bottles.
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In-store take-back offerings
Tesco has been working towards cutting packaging and plastic waste. In 2018, Tesco pledged to remove the hardest-to-recycle plastics from its packaging for its own-brand products by the end of 2019, a target it successfully met. In 2019, it set another target to remove a billion pieces of plastic from its business by the end of 2020, which it also achieved.
Tesco has also expanded its soft plastic collection scheme to all its large stores in the UK. This scheme includes bread bags, crisp packets, salad bags, and sweet wrappers. Tesco expects to collect and recycle around 1,000 tonnes of plastic annually under this scheme. The supermarket chain has also said that it will work with its recycling partner to ensure that as "much of this material as possible" is made back into products and packaging sold in its stores.
Tesco first trialled in-store collections for soft and flexible plastics at ten stores in 2020, during which customers returned more than ten times the expected amount of plastic. In March 2021, Tesco began adding the recycling points to 171 stores across Wales and the South West of England. Following "overwhelming customer support", Tesco announced that it had added the facility to every large UK store.
However, Tesco has faced some criticism regarding its soft plastic recycling scheme. A Bloomberg investigation revealed the "messy reality" of soft plastic recycling. Bloomberg placed tiny digital trackers inside three used plastic items deposited in a Tesco store recycling bin in London. The investigation revealed that the plastic waste collected by Tesco ended up at "the margins of European waste management", with some recycled, some burned, and some shipped off to an "uncertain fate".
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Frequently asked questions
Tesco has introduced soft plastic recycling points in all its large stores in the UK.
Soft plastics, such as crisp packets, plastic bags and food wrap, are difficult to recycle. These recycling points were introduced to prevent soft plastics from going to landfill.
Bread bags, crisp packets, salad bags, sweet wrappers, clear film used to wrap meat and fish, and fruit and
The plastic is washed, sorted and sent to a recycler. Tesco has said that as much material as possible will be recycled back into its own products and packaging.
Tesco has said that it anticipates collecting and recycling around 1,000 tonnes of plastic annually.
