Iceland has reduced its overall plastics packaging usage by 29% over the last two years as it works towards its pledge of removing the material from all own label products by the end of 2023.
The retailer was the first globally to make such a commitment and remains the only supermarket in the UK to have pledged to remove plastic packaging in its entirety from its own label range.
Iceland boasted that the 29% reduction reflects the removal of 3,794 tonnes from its annual plastic usage.
The retailer highlighted significant progress across high volume ranges, such as frozen ready meals, where 74 lines have been moved from non-recyclable black plastic and into paperboard-based trays. In addition to its work to remove black plastic, Iceland stated that it has also made headway in addressing other difficult to recycle plastics, including PVC and polystyrene.
Richard Walker, Managing Director at Iceland, commented: “We received overwhelming support from the public when we announced our commitment back in January 2018, and I’m enormously proud of the progress we’ve made over the past two years.”
He added: “The scale of the challenge we have taken on is huge, partly because of the lack of alternative solutions in some instances, the infrastructure in the manufacturing industry which in many cases is built around plastic usage, and of course the fact that we are the only retailer to have made a ‘totality’ commitment.
“We’re now looking ahead to the next phase of our journey, whilst continuing to engage our customers by finding scalable and user-friendly solutions, truly democratising choice to make sustainable packaging options an affordable reality for everyone.”
Iceland revealed that it has engaged almost 100 own label suppliers to establish working groups and set out frameworks for plastic removal, with a redevelopment plan set out for each and every line.
The retailer also collaborated with operations staff and conducted research with customers to ensure that solutions developed were fit for purpose.
Iceland also said it was encouraging all of its branded suppliers to take a collaborative approach to plastic packaging reduction.
All the major supermarkets have started implementing initiatives aimed at significantly reducing the amount of plastic used in their operations. Tesco and Aldi have recently warned suppliers that products could be delisted if they don’t meet their plastic packaging targets.
