Asda is removing traditional plastic tray packaging across its Just Essentials beef mince range, replacing it with a recyclable flexible plastic film alternative.
The new vacuum packaging contains 60% less plastic than the previous version and is fully recyclable through Asda’s in-store collection points.
The change will help to remove 67.6 tonnes of plastic from Asda’s supply chain annually.
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The new packs are also smaller in size while containing the same amount of beef mince as before, and have a longer shelf life.
Asda sustainable packaging manager Jon Wells said: “We’re always looking at new ways that we can make positive changes which will benefit both our customers and the planet, and we believe that this is one of those changes.”
“Not only does this improve shelf life and provide greater convenience for our customers, it also removes tonnes of non-recyclable plastic from our supply chain, reducing our carbon footprint.”
It comes as the latest in a string of changes from the supermarket as it looks to reach a target of 100% recyclable packaging by 2025.
In 2021, Asda began selling chicken in pouches instead of plastic trays in a bid to save 450 tonnes of plastic every year.
In the following year, the grocer become the first UK supermarket to update all of its own-brand toilet rolls to double its previous length, which will see it remove 74 tonnes of plastic and save 760 tonnes of cardboard a year.
More recently, Asda replaced coloured milk bottle tops with clear caps across its own-label fresh milk to recycle 207 million pieces of plastic every year.
