Upmarket UK retailer Waitrose & Partners has announced that it has removed plastic shrink wrap from multi-pack cans of private-label tinned grocery products.
The shrink wrap, mostly made of single-use plastic, is used to keep three or four cans together for convenience.
In October of last year, the retailer removed plastic wrap from multi-pack cans of its bestselling staples.
The initiative will help the retailer in removing more than 45 tonnes of single-use plastic from its operation annually.
'Best Quality And Value'
Canned food buyer at Waitrose & Partners, Claire Mitchell, said, “Our essential Waitrose tinned food has been selling in record numbers since March and we want to ensure that we can continue to give customers the best quality and value, without passing on the plastic on such popular products.
“Our customers expect us to keep tackling plastic, which includes eliminating single-use shrink wrap on our multi-buys. This is a significant step towards our plan to phase out non-recyclable plastic from all our packaging by 2021."
The retailer has already removed plastic used in holding multiple cans of essential Waitrose kidney beans and sweetcorn.
Over the coming months, it will remove the plastic wrap from other multi-pack cans except for tuna and tomatoes, which will feature recyclable cardboard sleeves.
The retailer has also removed plastic from multi-buy packs of essential Waitrose tissues to achieve an additional plastic reduction of 4.49 tonnes a year.
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
