More than half of UK grocery products come packaged in plastic that could be replaced with alternatives, new research has claimed.
The analysis by packaging giant DS Smith found 51% of food and drink items in UK supermarkets were packaged in unnecessary plastic, amounting to 29.8 billion avoidable pieces annually.
The FTSE-listed packaging business commissioned consultancy Retail Economics to look at over 1,500 products, and found the worst offenders were processed foods including ready meals and meal kits.
The avoidable plastic was found on 90% of ready meals and meal kits, 89% of bread, rice and cereals, 83% of dairy products and 80% of meat and fish.
The research also analysed packaging materials in 25 of the most popular supermarkets across six European markets, and found the UK to be the most reliant on plastic packaging. It found 70% of food and drink items on UK shelves were packaged in plastic, compared with 67% in Spain, 66% in Italy and Germany, 62% in Poland and 59% in France.
However, the UK was not alone in making slow progress, with a survey of 300 food and drink manufacturers in the same six countries finding a quarter were behind on their own plastic reduction targets. The researchers spoke to 300 senior people in packaging or sustainability roles at the businesses and found costs and fear of consumer reaction were among the barriers holding them back.
Two in five identified the cost of raw materials as the biggest obstacle, while 39% were worried consumers would not accept changes.
Seven in 10 believed shoppers would not want to pay extra for sustainable packaging and nearly two thirds thought they wouldn’t want to sacrifice convenience.
The research defined unnecessary plastic as material that could be safely replaced with an alternative consisting of less than 1% plastic by weight, including items sold loose or packaged with a minimal plastic coating or seal. It also included instances where plastic could be reduced to less than 5% by weight.
DS Smith, which makes plastic-free fibre-based and paper packaging, said it was calling on the UK government to phase out unnecessary plastic and create regulation to help businesses move faster in its planned Circular Economy Strategy.
“We think government can and should be more demanding of us all – phasing out certain plastics to help create a level playing field that encourages innovation, investment, and generates healthy competition to replace plastic,” said DS Smith group CEO Miles Roberts.
“The opportunity to meet consumer demand for more sustainable packaging is significant and we hope the government’s forthcoming Circular Economy Strategy will find ways to support the use of materials that are more readily recyclable.”
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