First-of-its-kind analysis of 1,500 supermarket items reveals plastic packaging impact
51% of food and beverages in supermarkets come in needless plastic packaging, according to DS Smith’s Material Change Index.
Commissioned by DS Smith and conducted by Retail Economics, the index identified that over half (51%) of food and drink items found in UK supermarkets are unnecessarily packaged in plastic that can be safely removed or replaced with alternatives. This adds up to 29.8 billion avoidable pieces annually across the UK.
Unnecessary can be defined as replaceable plastic; plastic packaging that can either be completely removed or significantly reduced by switching to alternative materials. Replaceable plastic includes both removable plastic and reducible plastic, with the threshold for reduction being less than 5% plastic by weight, aligned with industry recycling standards.
Miles Roberts, group chief executive, DS Smith sees good progress being made but stresses there is more to do.
“Government can and should demand more of us all – phasing out certain plastics to create a level playing field that encourages innovation, investment, and generates healthy competition to replace plastic,” Roberts adds.
The Material Change Index research shows that most of that plastic packaging came from processed foods, including ready-meals and meal kits (90%); bread, rice and cereals (89%); dairy products (83%); and meat and fish (80%).
A survey of European food manufacturers and retailers carried out as part of the research found that almost all (98%) respondents have commitments to reduce plastic packaging. Three in five (60%) have two years or less left to reach their voluntary targets, but a quarter (25%) say they are off track to reach them. Two in five (40%) identified the cost of raw material as the biggest obstacle, closely followed by the fear that consumers would not accept changes (39%).
Following the store audits, DS Smith’s packaging specialists conducted analysis to determine where plastic packaging could be safely removed or significantly reduced by switching to alternative, existing solutions. They categorised the material as:
- Removeable plastic: where the plastic content in an alternative solution (eg fibre, glass) is less than 1% by weight – including items sold loose or packaged with a minimal plastic coating or seal.
- Reducible plastic: where plastic can be significantly reduced to less than 5% by weight – remaining recyclable within standard recycling processes.
Food manufacturers and retailers worry that shifts in packaging would make them uncompetitive. Seven in ten (72%) believe that shoppers would not want to pay extra for sustainable packaging and nearly two thirds (65%) think they wouldn’t want to sacrifice convenience for sustainability.
The Material Change Index analysed packaging materials in 25 of the most popular supermarkets across six European markets: UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland. The findings showed that the UK is the most reliant on plastic packaging, with 70% of all food and drink items on British shelves containing plastic3 compared to Spain (67%), Italy (66%), Germany (66%), Poland (62%) and France (59%).
“Over the last four years, we’ve replaced over 1 billion pieces of plastic, but meeting consumer demand for sustainable packaging is crucial. We hope the Government’s Zero Waste Strategy will support the use of more readily recyclable materials,” Roberts concludes.
