We continue to focus on reducing packaging in the first place. In 2023, we:

• Removed bubble pads from our UK strawberry lines and plan to roll out wider. Calculated that this will result in a reduction of 3.6 tonnes of plastic annually by eliminating 370,000 units of unnecessary and hard-to-recycle packaging components.
• Introduced a new double-stacked steak format, maintaining exceptional quality and freshness while using 50% less plastic. By adopting this innovative approach, we eliminate eight tonnes of plastic packaging annually.
• Removed the tray from our whole chicken range, which eliminates 4 tonnes of plastic and removes 565,000 unnecessary packaging components every year.
• Redesigned the label on the lid of our spice range to eliminate the tamper-evident seal. This change removes 508,000 units of unnecessary hard-to-recycle packaging components each year.

For products: As founders of The Refill Coalition, we are pioneering the development of an industry-wide, online reuse solution. This innovative approach will have a substantial impact on reducing single-use packaging throughout the entire supply chain.

For transit: We tested replacing shrinkwrap with reusable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nets for internal pallet movement at one of our customer fulfilment centres. If successful, it will reduce three tonnes of plastic annually without compromising efficiency or safety.

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 93% in 2023.
• Working to increase the average recycled content of our plastic to 30%. In 2023, we achieved 21%, a 5% 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 for milk bottles: 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.

Packaging accounts for 9% 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.