Iceland to shelve plastic from own-brand products

ICELAND has become the first major retailer to commit to eliminating plastic packaging for all own-brand products within five years to help end the “scourge” of plastic pollution.

The supermarket said it would be replacing plastic with packaging including paper and pulp trays and paper bags which would be recyclable through domestic waste collections or in-store recycling facilities.

Iceland said it was the first major retailer globally to go “plastic-free” on its own label products and aimed to complete the move by the end of 2023.

It has already removed plastic disposable straws from its own label range and new food ranges set to hit the shelves in early 2018 will use paperbased rather than plastic food trays.

The move, which has been welcomed by environmental campaigners, comes amid growing concern over plastic pollution in the world’s oceans, where it can harm and kill wildlife.

Last week Theresa May, the Prime Minister, pledged to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste within 25 years as part of the Government’s environmental strategy, with calls for supermarkets to introduce “plastic-free” aisles.

A survey for Iceland revealed overwhelming public support for a shift away from plastic by retailers, with 80 per cent of 5,000 people polled saying they would endorse a supermarket’s move to go plastic-free. Richard Walker, Iceland’s managing director, said: The world has woken up to the scourge of plastics.

“The onus is on retailers, as leading contributors to plastic packaging pollution and waste, to take a stand and deliver meaningful change.”

Samantha Harding, of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: “Iceland are steadfastly laying the path that all supermarkets should be following.”