20,000 signatures reached
To: Sainsbury's and Tesco
Sainsbury's & Tesco: publicly support real action to cut plastic production
We want the UK Government to push for a cut in global plastic production by 40% by 2040 at the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations and beyond. And we're calling for Sainsbury’s and Tesco to publicly support this.
Why is this important?
🤔 Ever wondered what happens to the soft plastic that you return to the supermarket for recycling? Well, we've managed to find out.
🕵️ We placed tracking devices into 40 bundles of soft plastic packaging and dropped them at front-of-store collection points at Sainsbury's and Tesco supermarkets across England.
🔥 The results of our investigation reveal that 70% of the tracked soft plastic bundles that reached a final destination is burnt, not recycled.
🚢 The rest ended up at recycling facilities that downcycle soft plastic waste into products other than packaging – the majority of which were in Türkiye.
⚠️ Environmental law NGO ClientEarth warns that there is strong evidence that soft plastic recycling claims are misleading the public.
🛒 Since 2021, major UK supermarkets, including Sainsbury's and Tesco, have been rolling out front-of-store collection points to recycle soft plastic packaging, while “Recycle with bags at large supermarkets” labels are now seen across an extensive range of soft plastic packaging.
đź™… But soft plastic packaging is acknowledged by the waste management industry and the UK Government to be incredibly challenging to recycle...
🏠With plastic production set to triple by 2060, these schemes are a symptom of a system that is out of control.
✊ Supermarkets are part of the problem. But they’re also part of the solution.
🗣️ Now you can help push for change.
✏️ Sign and share our petition calling for Sainsbury’s and Tesco to publicly back a 40% cut in global plastic production by 2040.
How it will be delivered
With the support of Sainsbury's and Tesco, we will deliver the petition to the government ahead of the final Global Plastic Treaty negotiations in November 2024.
