Tesco switches cheese packaging

Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket chain, is changing the packaging of its own label hard cheeses with the aim of saving 260 tonnes of plastic annually.

The saving has been made by switching nearly 40 lines of cheese from the traditional square block shape to rectangular packaging, as well as removing the current re-sealable zip and ditching the plastic trays in which the cheeses are delivered. They will now be sent in a new cardboard shelf-ready format.

The move is part of Tesco’s ongoing 4Rs (Remove, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) strategy aimed at eliminating excess and non-recyclable material from its business. Tesco has set a target to remove 1 billion pieces of plastic by the end of 2020. To date a total of 800 million pieces have been eliminated, including tinned multipacks, secondary lids and the small bags used to pack loose fruit and vegetables.

Credits: Tesco PLC