Tesco is joining forces with Loop, a “zero waste shopping platform”, to cut back on plastic waste.
The supermarket giant has announced it is trialling a scheme in the UK where online shoppers will be able to order food and other items in reusable packaging – initially, covering 150 of the store’s products, including Heinz Tomato Ketchup, Persil washing liquid, and Coca-Cola.
Tom Szaky, the chief executive of Loop, said the UK service would start off as a pilot, delivering to the UK mainland.
“The rising demand for home deliveries on the back of Covid presents a real opportunity for innovation in reusable packaging. It’s great news that Tesco and Loop have seized this opportunity, and are allowing online shoppers to use refillable containers,” said Louise Edge, a spokeswoman for the organisation.
How will it work?
Customers will apply for the service by clicking on a link on the Tesco website, and will then be able to order their delivery, which will come in a bag via courier firm DPD.
After using the products, customers will then need to ask for DPD to come and collect the empty bag of containers.
These will then be cleaned by food safety firm Ecolab, and returned to Loop to be reused.
“The concept is similar to how the milkman used to come to the front door, pick up used milk bottles, and leave fresh milk in a new container. After use, customers simply place the empty containers into the tote bag in which the food arrived and go online to schedule a packaging pickup and second delivery. A deposit is paid on each piece of packaging and is fully refunded upon return.” – Giles Bolton, Responsible Sourcing Director, Tesco
Despite a flood of positive feedback on social media, some people have also raised concerns over the steep prices. Tesco has confirmed that offers will not be available through the scheme, and Clubcard points will also be out of the question for now.
On top of this, customers will have to pay a deposit of £1 per item on their order. Although you’ll get this money back once you return the items, some people just simply won’t be able to afford this initial price.
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How will this impact Tesco’s plastic waste?
Giles Bolton, Responsible Sourcing Director at Tesco, explains that reusing plastic is a vital part of Tesco’s “4R packaging plan” – and this pilot partnership is key to finding a scalable reusable packaging solution for customers.
The company will listen to feedback from customers and work with Loop to develop and improve the online service throughout the year. “The range will increase over time and next year we will introduce some of the products in reusable packaging into our own stores.”
This is a huge leap in the right direction for UK supermarkets, and is likely to spur on other competitors to do the same too.
Currently, supermarkets in the UK put over 900,000 tonnes of plastic packaging on their shelves a year. And, like most plastic, it finds its way into our oceans or goes into landfill.
Greenpeace applauded Tesco and Loop for “taking the lead” in making reusable packaging available to customers, and predicted the system would serve as a blueprint for how people shop for groceries in the future.
Although the scheme is already revealing a few flaws, this is certainly something for us to celebrate. As one of the UK’s largest supermarkets, Tesco will be making a huge dent in our overall plastic waste with initiatives like this.
