Iceland has launched an industry-leading trial that will reduce plastic packaging by 93% across its fresh produce range.
The trial, in 33 of Iceland’s stores across London and the South East region, offers customers the opportunity to buy 38 fresh fruit and vegetable lines in innovative new packaging solutions that are either plastic-free or have a significantly reduced plastic content.
Iceland is expecting the trial alone to remove seven tonnes of plastic, reflecting the growing consumer appetite to reduce plastic consumption.
Richard Walker, Managing Director at Iceland, commented: “We understand that consumers are particularly aware of the amount of plastic being used to package produce across the industry and we’ve been working hard to develop user-friendly, sustainable alternatives. This trial is the largest ever of its kind and we’re excited to see how customers respond to the range of solutions provided. The trial is truly scalable and our findings will help to further define our strategy for eliminating plastic across our produce offering.
“Most importantly, customers will not have to pay a premium for the plastic-free or reduced plastic products as prices will remain exactly the same, and we’re proud to be democratising choice in this way.
“When we made our industry-leading commitment to remove plastic from our own label products, we knew we would encounter obstacles along the way, including unsuccessful launches. We continue to be transparent with our customers about our successes and learnings, and bring them along on the journey as we use their feedback to improve and innovate.”
See our press release here.
