The battle against plastic is picking up speed, as Supermarket chain Iceland becomes the first major retailer to commit to eliminating plastic from its own-brand products, aiming to reach the goal within five years.
The chain has said that its plastic packaging is to be replaced with paper and pulp trays and paper bags, which would be recyclable through domestic waste collections or in-store recycling facilities. This follows a recent survey they carried out with 5,000 participants, 80% of which said they'd endorse the move to go plastic free.
Iceland managing director, Richard Walker, told The Guardian: "The world has woken up to the scourge of plastics. A truckload is entering our oceans every minute, causing untold damage to our marine environment and ultimately humanity – since we all depend on the oceans for our survival.
"The onus is on retailers, as leading contributors to plastic packaging pollution and waste, to take a stand and deliver meaningful change."
The news comes amid a lot of mainstream talk about how we can all do out bit to reduce our plastic waste, with Theresa May last week pledging to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste within 25 years as part of the government's environmental strategy. The recent hit TV series Blue Planet II, with broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, drew attention to the increasing amount of plastic waste that ends up in our oceans. It's time to change, and the big retailers are starting to move.
We recently covered the issue in a recent foodwatching article titled Ditching the Plastic, which can be read here. Can't see the article as you're not yet a member of our trendhub? Get in touch today to get signed up.