Iceland’s managing director has urged ministers to create legally-binding plastic targets for businesses.
According to The Grocer, Richard Walker said the move would help Iceland meet its pledge of cutting out plastic from own-brand goods by 2023.
It came as the supermarket revealed it would slash plastic packaging in nine products.
Walker abandoned its move towards loose fruit and vegetables in December 2019 when sales plummeted by almost a third.
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“Our journey to becoming plastic free would be much easier if government set more aggressive, mandatory plastic reduction targets… for business,” he said.
“We would also call upon our fellow retailers to make more ambitious commitments… [to] reduce the need to rely on plastic packaging together.”
Iceland’s latest effort will see nine products sold in “plastic-free” or “heavily reduced” plastic packaging.
Frozen vegetables and herbs have moved into cartons, while its soured cream and chive dip and sweet chilli houmous has switched to paperboard pots.
Easy peel wild red shrimp is going “completely free from plastic” thanks to a new coated paper bag.
The new packaging is being trialled in 115 stores and will reportedly save 36.6 tonnes of plastic a year.
In June, Walker admitted that Iceland’s 2023 target “looks increasingly challenging simply because of the huge increase in overall plastic consumption”.
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1 Comment. Leave new
“Walker abandoned its move towards loose fruit and vegetables in December 2019 when sales plummeted by almost a third.”
Why did that happen? Is it to do with Iceland customers not expecting it? That should be looked into as it’s the way forward to reduce plastic packaging. All the supermarkets should do it together and give the consumer no choice if they are serious about the issue. We need more loose fruit and vegetables. That is the future.