The Material Change Index found that 51% of food and drink items were packaged in plastic that could be safely removed or replaced with alternatives, the equivalent of 29.8 billion avoidable piece annually across the UK.
Analysis of 1,500 supermarket groceries revealed that the UK was the most reliant on plastic packaging, with 70% of all food and drink items on British shelves containing plastic compared to Spain (67%), Italy (66%), Germany (66%), Poland (62%) and France (59%).
Plastic packaging usage
Most of that plastic packaging came from processed foods, including ready-meals and meal kits (90%); bread, rice and cereals (89%); dairy products (83%); and meat and fish (80%). Besides rice and cereals, these are all items with relatively short shelf lives, prompting manufacturers to turn to plastic packaging materials to keep them fresher for longer.
While a majority of respondents said that they had commitments to reduce plastic packaging (98%), a quarter (25%) said they were off track to reach them. Two in five (40%) identified the cost of raw material as the biggest obstacle, closely followed by the fear that consumers would not accept changes (39%).
Food manufacturers and retailers feared that shifts in packaging would make them uncompetitive. At least seven in ten (72%) believed shoppers would not want to pay extra for sustainable packaging and nearly two thirds (65%) thought they wouldn’t want to sacrifice convenience for sustainability.
Government should demand more
Commenting on the research, DS Smith group chief executive Miles Roberts said: “Good progress has been made but there is more to do. Government can and should demand more of us all – phasing out certain plastics to create a level playing field that encourages innovation, investment, and generates healthy competition to replace plastic.
“Meeting consumer demand for sustainable packaging is crucial. We hope the Government's Zero Waste Strategy will support the use of more readily recyclable materials.”
Meanwhile, supermarket chain Sainsbury’s is continuing its sustainability push by being the first supermarket to vacuum pack all its lamb mince.
