Tesco’s “leave it with us” packaging initiative to guide future waste strategy
UK’s largest retailer, Tesco, has announced the start of a customer packaging audit trial, which offers customers the opportunity to remove and leave excess plastic and paper packaging in store after buying their shopping.The in-store pilot is part of a wider research project, which could influence packaging strategy going forward.
“We know that our customers want us to continue to reduce packaging,” Lucy Neville-Rolfe, Tesco Executive Director for Corporate and Legal Affairs, commented. “At the same time we need to make sure that we are preventing unnecessary food waste. We are looking to find the least amount of packaging necessary and this trial will help us to establish customers’ views.”
Alasdair James, head of energy, waste and recycling at Tesco said the trial provided an invaluable insight into where consumers believed packaging was not necessary or excessive.
“We know our customers expect us to help them recycle easily and we have also committed ourselves to cutting our own waste,” he noted. “This unique pilot helps us do both. Packaging left by customers at the store will tell us a lot about areas we may need to look at again as well as where we have got it right.”
