Supermarket Plastic Survey

Published 28.8.20

One of the more hidden impacts of Covid-19 is the risk of big corporations back peddling on single use plastics reduction targets. Single use products or products wrapped in single use plastic are perceived to be safer, even though scientists have confirmed this isn’t true. Now, more than ever, it is important we keep pressure on big companies, including supermarkets, to keep pushing towards their plastic reduction targets.

Last year we were proud to work with Greenpeace to secure a big win for our oceans and rivers. In their groundbreaking Supermarket Plastics Survey, which we helped to fund, Greenpeace exposed Sainsbury’s as the worst offender in action to reduce plastic. Scandalised by these shocking revelations, almost 100,000 people emailed Sainsbury’s CEO, demanding the supermarket reduce their plastic footprint and flooded their HQ’s phone-lines with plastic complaints. Just a short time later, Sainsbury’s pledged to halve its plastic footprint by 2025 – an industry-leading commitment and a massive mark of progress.

We mustn’t lose this momentum and Greenpeace has kept up the pressure on the big coffee shops to allow customers to continue to be able to use their reusable cups. Plastic pollution remains an urgent problem which still needs radical action. #plasticpollution