Asda has brought forward its target to reach 30% recycled content in the plastic packaging used for its own label products to the end of 2020 – five years ahead of its original deadline. The move is part of a number of new commitments set out by the supermarket to reduce its plastic use and encourage suppliers to do the same.
The next stage of its overall plastic reduction plans includes a new target to reduce the total amount of plastic used in its own label packaging by 15% by February 2021. It will also trial a number of new refillable and reusable packaging solutions during 2020 as part of its “test and learn” approach to innovation.
Since February last year, Asda has been reviewing plastic use across its business, removing more than 6,500 tonnes of plastic packaging from its own label range. It will no longer use non-detectable black plastic in its own label products by the end of this year and will make all of its own packaging 100% recyclable by 2025.
CEO Roger Burnley commented: “The elimination of avoidable plastic, and crucially single-use plastic, is at the top of our minds – and at the top of our customers’ minds. Whilst we have already made great progress in reducing plastic in our business, we are committed to identifying new opportunities to go further and do more.
“Our focus is on removing unnecessary plastic, and where packaging is beneficial to the life of a product we will trial new solutions that are as recycled and as recyclable as possible.”
As well as committing to addressing the plastic used in its own label products, Asda is also calling on suppliers to collaborate with them to find solutions to curtail plastic pollution. The supermarket has written to all of its suppliers with an open invitation for manufacturers to come forward with new ideas around reduced, reusable or recycled plastic solutions.
Asda stated that it was committed to providing space and opportunity for suppliers to test packaging innovation in a real store, with real customer feedback, whether the ideas are currently scalable to one shop or to hundreds.
Trials will last for at least three months, giving both Asda and its suppliers the opportunity to review and move on where things aren’t working, with the aim to “think big, start small and scale fast”.
In an open letter to suppliers, published in trade magazine The Grocer, Burnley said: “Over the last couple of years, our industry has been at the forefront of consumer concern about overuse of plastic packaging, and rightly so. Whilst we all take seriously our responsibility to ensure products reach our customers in the best condition, some of our packaging decisions have been more about making our lives simple, than considering the impact we have on the wider environment.
“We know that our customers will always look to us to provide great value products that meet their needs – and they need us to be a part of the solution in tackling the global plastics crisis, not part of the problem.”
