Campaigners accuse supermarkets of 'treading water' on plastic pollution, while pressure builds on MPs to accept amendmends to Environment Bill that would see the UK adopt legally-binding plastics reduction targets
The UK's leading supermarkets produced more plastic in 2019 than they did two years prior, according to findings published today that suggest the flurry of plastic strategies and targets unveiled by chains of late are struggling to make significant gains in tackling overall plastic pollution.
A new report released this morning by Greenpeace and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) reveals the UK's 10 leading supermarkets collectively produced almost 897,000 tonnes of plastic packaging in 2019, a figure that marks a 1.6 per cent reduction compared to levels recorded a year ago but a 1.2 per cent increase on levels recorded in 2017.
As such, campaigners have accused the supermarket chains of "treading water" in the fight against plastic pollution and have urged the firms to introduce more ambitious plastics targets and plastic reduction policies.
"In our third year of looking at plastic packaging in UK supermarkets, we had hoped to see a much sharper downwards trajectory as strategies and targets bear fruit," said EIA senior campaigner Christina Dixon. "Instead, we are looking at a relatively static picture which represents a drop in the ocean of tackling plastic pollution. The sector urgently needs to pick up the pace of plastic reduction."
The report, which relies on packaging data supplied by supermarkets, warns the percentage of branded packaging at supermarkets is on the rise, despite progress made by supermarkets in curbing packaging across their own-brand ranges.
While the number of single-use plastic carrier bags issued fell by 33 per cent across all supermarkets, the percentage of branded packaging increased by five per cent in 2019 compared to 2017, according to the investigation. Meanwhile, almost 2.5 billion plastic water bottles were sold or given away in UK supermarkets throughout 2019, the report reveals.
As such, Greenpeace has urged to supermarkets to adopt a raft of new measures that would prompt suppliers to slash their plastic use. These include introducing sourcing policies that require suppliers to meet specific packaging targets and requirements if they want to to be stocked on supermarket shelves.
Nina Schrank, senior plastics campaigner at Greenpeace UK, urged supermarkets to bolster their existing targets and embrace reuse and refill systems where possible.
"Supermarkets have assured their customers that they share their concerns on plastic waste, but we need to see far more ambition than this from the sector if we're going to even start to turn the tide on plastic pollution," she said."All supermarkets should follow Sainsbury's, and now Aldi, in committing to reduce plastic packaging by 50 per cent by 2025, at the very least. How these commitments are met is also crucial. Half of that reduction should come from reuse a nd refill systems, so we can ensure that packaging stays in those systems and out of the environment."
The campaigners have called on retailers to set dedicated internal targets for increasing reusable and refillable packaging and delivery systems, for both in-store and online shopping.
The report also argues the growth of online shopping during the pandemic presents a major opportunity for supermarkets to ramp up reuse systems. Chains should consider emulating the service offered by Tesco through its partnership with Loop, where doorstep deliveries rely on reusable containers that can later be picked up, washed, and repurposed, the report argues.
In the report's overall ranking of efforts to reduce plastic pollution, Waitrose ranks first and Iceland last. Of the five largest UK supermarkets by market share, Aldi is given the highest score, followed by Sainsbury's, Tesco, Asda, and Morrison's.
The campaigners have also set out several recommendations for the government, arguing that supermarkets' plastic pollution could be curbed if a nationwide target for single-use plastic reduction was introduced.
MPs are set to debate an amendment to the Environment Bill later today that calls for the introduction of legally binding plastics reduction targets through the landmark legislation. Greenpeace and the IEA's calls come as the government also faces growing pressure from business leaders, MPs, faith leaders, and other campaigners to formally fold long-term and interim targets for cutting plastic pollution into British law.
In an open letter published this morning, environmental NGOs Friends of the Earth, Surfers Against Sewage, and Keep Britain Tidy urged the government to accept the amendment, which was tabled by Conservative MP Christ Loder.
"Despite the introduction of a few welcome measures, the government must go much further to stem the rising tide of plastic pollution pouring into our environment," said Friends of the Earth plastic campaigner Camilla Zerr. "Boris Johnson has a golden opportunity to get to grips with the crisis by ensuring that the Environment Bill contains legally binding targets for reducing the amount of plastic waste polluting our planet every year."
Responding to the calls to action, a government spokesperson emphasised a number of measures it had taken to tackle plastic pollution on late, including a ban on microbeads in rinse-off personal care products, a charge on plastic bags that is set to increase from next April, and a ban on the supply of plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds.
"We are going to go further though, and our landmark Environment Bill will give us a raft of new powers to create deposit return schemes for drinks containers, to encourage more recyclable packaging through extended producer responsibility, to ban the export of plastic waste to non-OECD countries, and to make it easier for ministers to place charges on other single-use plastic items," the spokesperson said.