
To date, we have improved the packaging for more than 1600 products and saved over 6000 tonnes of material in the process. The 4Rs are issued B2B with suppliers as a simple principle, and to customers to signpost opportunities to use less packaging and recycle more. This means we remove where we can, reduce it where we can’t, reuse more of it, and recycle what’s left.

Our strategy is based around 4Rs: Remove, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Then we feedback to suppliers and support them to make positive changes that improve sustainability and help customers. We listen to customers and have links to a vast selection of experts that help inform us of how best to improve the sustainable performance of packaging. To learn more about these projects, and look ahead to 2022, we spoke with James Bull, the retailer’s head of packaging.īroadly speaking, what is the role of retailers like Tesco in the packaging sustainability space?Īll retailers have an important role, but Tesco has a unique position as a market leader. In other words, recover.2021 was a big year for Tesco’s packaging sustainability efforts, as it embraced reuse schemes, launched a pilot to encourage the collection of soft plastics, and continued its drive to disincentivize the usage of single-use plastic.

In some cases, it is possible to extract materials or energy from waste when that waste is not suitable for reduction, reusing, or recycling.Therefore, recycling should only be considered when reduction and reuse are not possible. While recycling helps to conserve materials and reduce waste, it should not be forgotten that recycling involves costs, both economic and environmental. If waste is produced, every effort should be made to reuse it.If possible, the reduction of waste is preferred.With the 4 R’s in mind, the Canadian governmen t has interpreted the hierarchy between these actions as follows:

The 4 R’s stand for:īy now, these terms are used worldwide.

They help us to make simple changes that have a significant impact on the sustainability of our planet. The 4 R’s are clear, easy to remember, and attainable. They make us aware of how we handle materials and how we throw them away. The 4 R’s are a simple way of reminding us how we can make a difference in sustainability.
