// Tesco to scrap soft plastic rings & shrink wrap packaging from all beers and ciders in its stores
// Tesco expects to sell through the last remaining stock in the coming weeks
// The move will lead to 50 million fewer pieces of unrecycled plastic being produced each year
Tesco is set to become the first major retailer to scrap soft plastic rings and shrink wrap packaging from all beers and ciders across its UK stores.
The move will lead to 50 million fewer pieces of unrecycled plastic being produced each year.
The plastic rings can contribute to oceans being choked up and endanger wildlife such as birds and turtles.
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Tesco said it would stop receiving beer and ciders that are held together by soft plastic rings and shrink wraps in early May.
The retail giant said it expected to sell through the last remaining stock in the coming weeks and confirmed that it would not order beers or ciders that use this packaging in the future.
“We are working hand in hand with some of the world’s biggest brands to tackle the problem of unnecessary plastic,” Tesco quality director Sarah Bradbury said.
“Our mission is to remove, reduce, reuse and recycle so we use as little material as possible and ensure that all the packaging in our stores can be easily recycled.”
The move is part of Tesco’s ongoing 4Rs strategy – Remove, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle -strategy set up to remove excess and non-recyclable material from its business and recycle the rest.
As a part of this work, Tesco said it has already hit its target of removing a billion pieces of plastic including tinned multipacks, lids and the small bags used to pack loose fruit and veg.
Beer and cider brands that sell to Tesco will now use materials for multipacks such as cardboard sleeves, boxes, or a rigid plastic that can be easily recycled via kerbside collections.
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