Sonae MC has opened its first supermarket in Portugal to adopt a single-use plastic free policy in its fruit and vegetable section.
The policy has been rolled out in the Continente Bom Dia store in Porto and is part of the retailer’s Responsible Plastic Commitment.
As an alternative to disposable plastic bags, shoppers can avail of cotton or polyester bags, which are reusable and washable, free paper bags (which support up to 2.5 kg) or bring their own bags from home.
Plastic Reduction
In addition, the banner is committed to reducing (or even eliminating where possible) the use of plastic materials of fossil origin for private label products by 2025, instead focusing on reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging.
Since the start of 2019, Continente has defended the responsible use of plastic, recognising in specific cases the added value of this material in terms of food safety, food preservation and quality assurance.
The retailer said that the removal of plastic from its fruit and vegetable department will lead to annual savings of more than 115 tonnes of plastic.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
