Tesco Ireland has vowed to scrap plastic-wrapped multipacks and replace them with plastic-free multibuys across its own-brand and branded tinned food.
The move which is the first of its kind by a major retailer in Ireland, will see 1.5 million multipacks of Tesco own-label and branded tinned beans, tuna, soup, and tomatoes sold without plastic wrap each year.
The new policy, is expected to be rolled out from 2 March, 2020.
Tins will be available individually, however, customers still get the same ‘multipack’ value, just without plastic, the company said.
“We are working hard to remove all unnecessary and non-recyclable plastic from Tesco," said Kari Daniels, Tesco Ireland, CEO.
"As part of this work, removing plastic wrapped multipacks in every Tesco store in Ireland will bring about real change for our customers, culminating in almost 10 tonnes of plastic no longer being produced each year."
"We want to ensure that we never use more packaging than is needed, and what we do use is from sustainable sources and goes on to be reused or recycled," she added.
Daniels highlighted that the initiative is just one way the company is working towards making that goal a reality, across its business in Ireland and in the UK.
Branded Products
The change applies to both Tesco own brand products and branded products, like Heinz Beanz.
The move eliminates this plastic film which cannot currently be accepted in Irish household recycling collections, the retailer explained.
"While we know we have more to do, this initiative is good news for the environment, and for the millions of people who enjoy Heinz varieties every day, as they’ll still be able to benefit from the same great value for money,” said Georgiana de Noronha, president of Kraft Heinz Northern Europe.
At the end of last year Tesco removed all hard to recycle materials from Tesco own brand products and is working with suppliers to do the same, it said.
This move by Tesco and its suppliers supports the Government’s Climate Action Plan which aims to eliminate the use of non-recyclable plastic.
© 2020 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
