5,000 signatures reached
To: The Top 5 UK Health & Beauty Retailers (Boots, Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury’s and Superdrug)
Tell retailers to stock plastic free toiletries
We’re calling on the top 5 UK health & beauty retailers (Boots, Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury’s and Superdrug) to lead the way and make it easier for customers to take a break from single-use plastic by stocking the following #PlasticFreeTravel essentials at affordable prices:
• Bar soap
• Shampoo and conditioner bars
• Plastic-free suncream
• Refillable travel size bottles
• Cotton / reusable face wipes
And of course, all products should be free from plastic packaging.
Why is this important?
We know 80% of people are concerned about plastic pollution [1] and want to do more to reduce the amount of single-use plastic they use. But retailers don’t always make it easy to find plastic-free products.
We know that many retailers are starting to take action to prevent plastic pollution in certain areas of their business. But they need to know that promoting plastic travel minis without offering plastic-free alternatives is no longer acceptable. By acting on your feedback they can inspire the market & help us all escape from plastic pollution.
Why is this important:
Holidaymakers cause a 40% surge in marine litter entering the Mediterranean [2].
Research [3] estimates that 980 tonnes of mini-plastic shampoo bottles are being dumped by British holidaymakers abroad each year - that’s equivalent to two-and-a-half Boeing 747s.
In one year alone 15.5 million people bought travel miniatures (amounting to a whopping 103 million products) but just under half of them dumped the packaging afterwards!
A spokesperson for Thomas Cook said [4] the issue of single-use plastic matters to 90% of its customers, according to a survey of more than 3,000 people. “Significantly for the travel industry, the amount of plastic litter going into the Mediterranean increases by 40% during the summer months, demonstrating a direct link between our industry and plastic pollution.” On the back of its research, Thomas Cook has said it could save 70 million pieces of single-use plastic in the next year alone.
Together we can make a difference
Retailers listen to what their customers say and by signing our petition you’ll be making your voice heard and telling them we want a choice and plastic-free alternatives can and should be available.
Find out what else you can do by getting involved with our Plastic Free Travel campaign.
[1] https://pebblemag.com/news/zero-waste-week-single-use-plastic
[2] https://www.wwf.org.uk/updates/tourists-cause-almost-40-spike-plastic-entering-mediterranean-sea-each-summer
[3] https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/6887323/holidaymakers-travel-size-toiletries-plastic-waste/
[4] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/beach-holidays/thomas-cook-pledge-to-remove-single-use-plastics-from-resorts/
[5] https://www.citytosea.org.uk/campaigns/
