Is this the beginning of the end of plastic waste? How supermarkets are leading the way to save the environment
By Inigo
There are 380 billion plastic bags in the ocean!
All over the world plastic is being thrown away - and into the ocean and landfills. To help improve the environment and fix this problem, some supermarkets have realised the damage of plastic and are acting now to reduce the amount of plastic they use. Iceland, the UK supermarket, will reduce the amount of plastic they use over the next six years, and Dutch supermarket chain Ekoplaza has decided to have a plastic-free aisle.
Iceland has became the first supermarket to say that they are going to eliminate plastic in their brand. In doing so, Iceland could start a domino effect with other supermarkets racing to compete. Waitrose announced they will stop using black plastic trays in the next two years, and Asda have announced a range of plastic reduction methods. Also, the public has been encouraged to support this idea on television shows such as Blue Planet II and in campaigns by Greenpeace.
Iceland has generated huge amounts of media coverage because of this decision which has drawn a lot of attention to the company, which holds just over two per cent of the UK's grocery market. This has led to consumers asking why other supermarkets have not done something similar. Iceland has had over 200 endorsements from MPs, including Michael Gove, the Environmental Secretary, and Theresa May, the Prime Minister.
But there are key reasons as to why other larger supermarkets have not been able to do the same as Iceland. Other supermarkets sell a smaller range of packaged items (almost 10% less) which means there is less plastic to cut out. It is also argued that the alternative paper-based trays are not aesthetically pleasing as the black plastic trays.
It is also difficult to find alternatives for some plastic products, such as modified atmosphere plastic packs used for chilled meat and milk bottles.
Kieth Hann, head of PR at Iceland, said: "We believe that rapidly developing new technologies will help us overcome many of the current challenges within the five-year period we have identified as a realistic one in which to complete the transition."
What this means is that it is not going to be just one straight alternative; supermarkets are going to use machines more as they are taking advantage of this change and introducing new and more efficient, environmentally-friendly ways of storing food in the supermarket for customers.
Even though some supermarkets are beginning to reduce their use of plastics, one of the biggest problems they still face is getting the remaining packaging to be recyclable and, most importantly, to be recycled.
Mr Hann added: ‘This requires an investment by the government to standardize recycling practices across the country (currently every local authority adopts different rules)."
This means that the Government needs to establish environmental standards for the whole country, so all companies can follow the same basic rules.
In the meantime, Mrs May has announced "a war on plastic waste" and has come up with policies, including plastic-free aisles in supermarkets and taxes to ensure plastic containers are disposed of in an environmentally friendly way.
But what Mrs May is really striving for is for all plastic to be eliminated within the next 25 years. In her speech on this issue, she also promised the UK would lead internationally in environmental issues. But sadly, for the Prime Minister, campaign groups have said that this is unachievable without any regulations. Mrs May was also warned that leaving the EU had a big risk of weakening environmental protections. The Government was called to promise that this would not bring down green standards in the UK in exchange for rapid post-Brexit deals.