Woolworths Group claims to have removed 9,000 tonnes of plastic packaging from circulation across Australia as a result of its sustainability plan.
According to the supermarket group, its ‘sustainable packaging team’ is working across the group’s Own Brand and fresh ranges to remove plastic altogether, or reduce the amount used. Packaging has been changed in more than 550 products.
“More and more customers want to reduce their plastic use,” said Woolies’ head of sustainability Adrian Cullen.
“We’ve taken approximately 9,000 tonnes of plastic out of our packaging… to put this into perspective, it’s the equivalent weight of 16 A380 aircraft.
“Some plastic packaging is necessary to preserve food and minimise food waste, so where we can’t remove it were challenging ourselves to reduce it [and] working to include more recycled plastic to minimise its impact.”
And by October this year Woolies is expecting to have removed all single-use plastic cutlery, cups, plates and bowls from its stores nationwide, further reducing the plastic cost of its business by 1,700 tonnes per year.
“We know the steps we take to become a more sustainable supermarket today will help create a better tomorrow for generations to come,” said Cullen.