Science

Pressure to end plastic packaging in shops could actually be HARMING the environment


Pressure to end plastic packaging in supermarkets and other shops could be accidentally harming the environment, an independent think tank has found.

In their drive to cut down on plastic usage and pollution, retailers may be rushing to adopt replacement materials without fully evaluating their environmental impact.

For example, producing paper bags as a replacement for the plastic ones used to hold loose produce and baked goods typically requires four times the energy input.

Meanwhile, confusion exists over the meanings of labels like ‘compostable’ and ‘biodegradable’ — with packaging made from these materials not always breaking down as expected.

The report, prepared based on interviews with leading UK supermarkets and brands, calls for the government to play a more active role in tackling plastic.

Public concern around plastic usage was heightened by the BBC’s Blue Planet II documentary series, which highlighted the impact of plastic pollution on wildlife.

More than two years on, however relatively little has changed, according to UK charity the Green Alliance, which compiled the report.

Supermarkets, they added, are still putting the equivalent of 900 pieces of single-use packaging on their shelves for every person living in the UK.

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Pressure to end plastic packaging in supermarkets and other shops could be accidentally harming the environment, an independent think tank has found (stock image)

Pressure to end plastic packaging in supermarkets and other shops could be accidentally harming the environment, an independent think tank has found (stock image)

‘There are people who would like us to take plastic out of the soft drinks section and replace it with something else like glass and Tetra paks [plastic-coated paper cartons], which aren’t recycled [in the area],’ one anonymised interviewee said.

There is, they added, ‘not a lot of joined up thinking going on.’

Another brand’s representative was blunt in their appraisal of the misinformation that abounds on the environmental credentials of single use non-plastic packaging.

‘The past year has just really p****d me off no end with companies coming out and boasting about not using plastic — even when they’re in single use glass and their carbon emissions are going to be off the scale.’

‘The public are right to be outraged about plastic pollution,’ said the Green Alliance’s senior policy adviser on resources, Libby Peake.

‘But what we don’t want is, a few years down the line, for them to be outraged about new environmental problems caused by the alternatives.

‘We need to address the root of the problem, our throwaway society.

‘Companies need much more help from the government to tackle plastic pollution without making climate change and other environmental impacts worse in the process.’

Public concern around plastic usage was heightened by the BBC's Blue Planet II documentary series, which highlighted the impact of plastic pollution on wildlife. More than two years on, however relatively little has changed, warns report compiler and UK charity the Green Alliance

Public concern around plastic usage was heightened by the BBC’s Blue Planet II documentary series, which highlighted the impact of plastic pollution on wildlife. More than two years on, however relatively little has changed, warns report compiler and UK charity the Green Alliance

The ‘Plastic Promises: what the grocery sector is really doing about packaging’ report was prepared by the Green Alliance for the Circular Economy Task Force, a business-led forum on the UK’s resource usage.

Other members of the Circular Economy Task Force include Kingfisher, PwC, SUEZ, Veolia and Viridor. 

‘The often knee-jerk reactions of some buyers and brands can cause frustration for recycling companies,’ said Dan Cooke, sustainability head at the recycling and waste management firm Viridor.

Such, he adds, can see moves ‘away from inherently recyclable packaging types into materials like coated cardboard and composites that are less recyclable and that can have a worse environmental impact’.

‘There’s still an obvious need for improved collaboration and better policy to enable investment in technology and infrastructure that will sustainably raise recycling rates for post-consumer materials.’

In their drive to cut down on plastic usage and pollution, retailers may be rushing to adopt replacement materials without fully evaluating their environmental impact. Pictured, single-use plastic bags hang in the produce section of a supermarket (stock image)

In their drive to cut down on plastic usage and pollution, retailers may be rushing to adopt replacement materials without fully evaluating their environmental impact. Pictured, single-use plastic bags hang in the produce section of a supermarket (stock image)

‘We can’t address the plastic pollution crisis by simply replacing one disposable product with another. We must challenge our throwaway society too,’ said Friends of the Earth plastic campaigner Julian Kirby.

‘Bold government action is needed to shrink the huge mountains of waste generated every year through the prioritisation of waste reduction and re-use.’

‘Unless the current chaotic approach to waste and resources is radically overhauled we are simply storing up more problems in the future.’

Part of the problem, the report warns, is that the public’s present interest in plastic pollution has rendered innovations in packing technology something that can be leveraged, not just for environmental impact, but for competitive advantage.

‘Despite shared aims and joint commitments from companies in the grocery sector, individual companies are developing their own policies around plastic to gain competitive advantage,’ the Green Alliance said.

‘[This] could end up making environmental problems worse.’

Despite this, however, the report found that many stakeholders are keen for the government to play a greater role in coordinating plastic usage and setting standards to ensure more ‘joined-up’ thinking across the industry.

The full findings of the study were published on the Green Alliance website.

HOW MUCH RECYCLING ENDS UP IN LANDFILL?

Every day, millions of us drop a plastic bottle or cardboard container into the recycling bin – and we feel we’re doing our bit for the environment.

But what we may not realise is that most plastic never gets recycled at all, often ending up in landfill or incineration depots instead.

Of 30 billion plastic bottles used by UK households each year, only 57 per cent are currently recycled, with half going to landfill, half go to waste.

Most plastic never gets recycled at all, often ending up in landfill or incineration depots instead. Supermarkets are packed to the gills with plastic so I did my weekly shops at a farmers' market - something that may seem old-fashioned to ‘millenials’

Most plastic never gets recycled at all, often ending up in landfill or incineration depots instead. Around 700,000 plastic bottles a day end up as litter

Around 700,000 plastic bottles a day end up as litter.

This is largely due to plastic wrapping around bottles that are non-recyclable. 

Every year, the UK throws away 2.5 billion ‘paper’ cups, amounting to 5,000 cups a minute. 

Shockingly, less than 0.4 per cent of these are recycled.

Most cups are made from cardboard with a thin layer of plastic. 

This has previously posed issues with recycling but can now be removed  . 

Five specialist recycling plants in the UK have the capacity to recycle all the cups used on our high-streets.  

Ensuring the paper cups end up in these plants and are not discarded incorrectly is one of the biggest issues facing the recycling of the paper vessels. 



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