Iceland removes 29% of plastic from its supply chain

Iceland has removed 29% of plastic from its annual overall plastic packaging usage, equivalent to 3,694 tonnes.

The supermarket had originally set a target to remove plastics from all own label product packaging by the end of 2023.

Some 74 lines have been moved from non-recyclable plastic and into paperboard-based trays.

Richard Walker, managing director at Iceland, said: “The scale of the challenge we have taken on is huge, partly because of the lack of alternative solutions in some instances, the infrastructure in the manufacturing industry which in many cases is built around plastic usage, and of course the fact that we are the only retailer to have made a ‘totality’ commitment.

“Whilst we have seen a promising shift away from plastic usage across the industry and a significant increase in consumer awareness of the issue since the beginning of 2018, we remain the only retailer to have made this pledge.

“We’re now looking ahead to the next phase of our journey, whilst continuing to engage our customers by finding scalable and user friendly solutions, truly democratising choice to make sustainable packaging options an affordable reality for everyone.”