Tesco PLC is planning to ban brands that excessively use non-recyclable plastic packaging for their products, beginning in 2020, The Guardian reported Aug. 22, citing CEO Dave Lewis.
Lewis told the newspaper that the company would "reserve the right not to list" products with "excessive or inappropriate" packaging in a bid to ramp up efforts against the use of single-use plastic. Lewis said the retailer expects to have eliminated hard-to-recycle packaging from its products by the end of the year.
The move will challenge Tesco and its suppliers to reduce single-use plastic packaging in its supply chain, the report said. The British grocer is looking to make its packaging fully recyclable by 2025 across all its 2,658 stores in the U.K., the Guardian added.
Tesco has already started taking several measures to meet its target. It previously announced a month-long trial to remove plastic packaging from fruits and vegetables and began testing a process to convert soft plastic packaging into oil. It also said it would replace glitter from its Christmas offerings with an eco-friendly alternative.
In addition, the company has been trialing TerraCycle US Inc.'s Loop program, which focuses on increasing packaging reuse.
