Reduce

In 2024, we continued our efforts to eliminate unnecessary packaging from Ocado Own Range and minimise material use:

• Eliminated 4,513,000 units of unnecessary plastic packaging (36.95 tonnes).
• Eliminated 3,157,000 units of unnecessary paper packaging (7.55 tonnes).

Key examples of reduction initiatives:

• Our dip range features an IML printed lid, a design change that removed the necessity for cardboard sleeves, eliminating seven tonnes of cardboard waste and 1.9 million unnecessary components.
• Bacon in an easy-to-open, recyclable mono-material vacuum pack, reducing plastic by six tonnes annually (60%).

Reuse

As founder of the Refill Coalition, we became the first major supermarket to pilot a new reusable packaging scheme—designed especially for online shopping—to reduce the use of single-use packaging from customers’ weekly shops. Reuse is a critical driver to reach our target of achieving a circular economy. We are taking a proactive approach by aligning our goals with emerging EU legislation and anticipated reuse packaging targets in the UK.

We aim to extend our online reuse system ensuring wider accessibility for our customers. To make it as easy and convenient for our customers to shop for products in reusable packaging as it is to shop for single use items, we do not apply a deposit to the scheme. The reuse offering is currently available to 64% of our customer base.

We aim to extend our online reuse system to encompass all seven of our CFCs, ensuring wider accessibility for our customers. We also plan to increase our reuse product range by offering our customers a broader selection of sustainable, refillable options. A crucial aspect of our strategy involves actively engaging with brands to explore and implement collaborative reuse solutions. By working together, we can amplify the positive impact of our efforts and drive industry-wide change.

In collaboration with UKRI, WRAP and DEFRA, Ocado Retail is actively promoting the adoption of reusable packaging within the industry. This involves investigating interoperable systems and the necessary UK infrastructure to achieve a significant reduction in single-use packaging by 2030, enhancing circular economy engagement and adoption.

“We are proud to be the first major supermarket to bring a convenient, habit-forming online reusable packaging solution to customers’ doors whilst empowering them to reduce single-use packaging from their everyday shopping and make reuse the future norm.”

Laura Fernandez, Senior Sustainability Manager, Ocado Retail.

Our customers say:

• “Very straightforward, exactly the same as ordering other products.”
• “It is just as easy to unpack as I would have put a packet in the cupboard. I now pour the container out into a container in the cupboard, it doesn’t take any longer.”

Recycle

We prioritise easy recycling for our packaging, aiming to increase customer recycling rates and the use of recycled materials. Our initiatives include:

• Making our Own Range packaging fully recyclable and achieved 94% in 2024.
• Working to increase the average recycled content of our plastic to 30%. In 2024, we achieved 24%, an 8% increase from 2021 (16%).
• Closed-loop recycling for carrier bags: Since 2015, we’ve operated a closed-loop recycling scheme for our carrier bags. Collected and processed in the UK, the used bags are transformed into new ones. Our grey bags avoid water-intensive bleaching and the ink is vegan-friendly.
• Coffee pods recycling: We pioneered the use of Podback recycling bags, becoming the first UK supermarket to offer this service. At a specialised UK reprocessing plant, the pods are separated into coffee grounds for soil improvement and renewable energy, while the aluminium is transformed into new products like beverage cans.
• QR codes: In November 2022, we launched a trial with ‘unique-every-time’ QR codes, enabling customers to instantly access customisable landing pages providing real-time information and engaging content, as well as transforming recycling behaviour with a simple mobile scan.

Decarbonise

Packaging accounts for 10% of our Scope 3 emissions (2021 data). Plastic and glass make up 70% of our packaging footprint. We work with partners to assess environmental impact, identify hotspots and explore improvement opportunities across the packaging life cycle.