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10p plastic bag charge comes into force for all businesses
The UK Government has confirmed that it is increasing the levy applied to single-use plastic carrier bags to 10p.
Co-op to remove plastic bags for life from all stores
Co-op will remove plastic bags for life from sale in all 2,600 stores, citing concerns that they are increasing the amount of plastic in circulation, instead choosing to offer customers 10p compostable bags.
Retailers including Morrisons and Superdry roll-out recycling solution for plastic fashion packaging
A string of big-name UK retailers have started rolling out recycled polythene packaging for garments and accessories, ahead of a new tax on plastic packaging with less than 30% recycled content.
Morrisons to remove all plastic bags for life from UK stores
Supermarket retailer Morrisons is removing all plastic versions of its "bags for life" from stores nationwide, in favour of paper and other reusable options, in a move that will save 3,200 tonnes of plastic each year.
Government launches consultations on Deposit Return Scheme and Extended Producer Responsibility
MPs have today introduced new consultations to create the largest ever overhaul to the waste and resources sector, recommending that manufacturers cover the full costs of recycling packaging waste, standardising domestic and commercial waste collection and introducing a Deposit Return Scheme for certain types of packaging in 2024.
WRAP: UK's biggest businesses have cut unnecessary plastic packaging by 40%
Businesses signed up to WRAP's UK Plastics Pact, which is supported by the likes of Unilever, Nestle and PepsiCo, collectively produced 40% fewer non-recyclable and unnecessary pieces of plastic packaging this year than in 2018.
Aldi to remove single-use plastic bags from fruit and veg aisles
Aldi UK & Ireland will remove single-use plastic bags from the produce aisles in all of its stores by the end of the year, the supermarket announced today (2 October).
Co-op launches in-store collection scheme for single-use plastics
Co-op has started an in-store collection system for "scrunchable" plastics, including carriers bags, yoghurt pots and food wrappers, which will be processed into waste disposal bin liners to be used by the retailer.
UK plastic bag charge to be doubled and extended to all retailers
The UK Government has confirmed that the 5p charge on single-use plastic carrier bags will be doubled to 10p and extended to all retailers from April 2021.
Morrisons planning to ditch plastic 'bags for life'
After removing 5p single-use carrier bags and trialling paper options, Morrisons is hoping to remove plastic 'bags for life' from all of its checkouts, should trials of alternatives prove successful.
Cross-sector action needed to improve flexible plastics recycling
Cross-section action and government guidance are required to create a recycling system for flexible, low-value plastics such as bags and wrapping, according to new guidance published today (14 July) by WRAP.
Business Energy Barometer: April - May 2020
edie's Business Barometer for 2020 sets out the key challenges and opportunities for energy leaders and managers going into a decade of climate action.
Coronavirus and plastics: Are we headed back towards single-use?
As the global economy struggles with the pressures of Covid-19, some industry groups are using the need for more protective equipment as a means to lobby for the removal of charges and bans on single-use plastics. edie explores why that cannot be allowed to happen.
RBS's climate goals and Aldi's plastic bag crackdown: The sustainability success stories of the week
As part of our Mission Possible campaign, edie brings you this weekly round-up of five of the best sustainability success stories of the week from across the globe.
Report: One in five UK businesses not motivated by environmental impact of plastics
Keep Britain Tidy and Brita UK have called on UK businesses to explore behaviour change and staff engagement initiatives to accelerate action on single-use plastics, after their survey found that 20% of businesses are 'not at all' motivated by the environmental impacts of the plastics they use.
London Stansted Airport trials compostable security bags
London Stansted Airport has begun trialling security bags that purport to be compostable as an alternative to the traditional oil-based plastic kind.
Iceland calls for supplier support to reach plastics phase-out target
Iceland has sent letters to all of its suppliers, calling on them to support the retailer in eliminating plastics packaging from its own-label products by the end of 2023.
'Bags for life' making plastic problem worse, say campaigners
Plastic "bags for life" should be banned or raised in price, campaigners say, as new figures reveal a surge in the bags is fuelling a rise in the plastic packaging footprint of leading supermarkets.
Boots introduces compostable pharmacy bags after plastics backlash
Boots is switching its plastic pharmacy bags to compostable alternatives made using potato starch, after customers began returning plastic bags and voicing their anger on social media this summer.
Tesco to remove one billion plastic pieces from products by end of 2020
Tesco will remove one billion pieces of plastic from products sold in UK stores, including ready meal trays, straws from drinks cartons and packaging for clothing and greeting cards, by the end of 2020.
Finisterre to switch from plastic bags to 'water-soluble' biodegradable alternative
Outdoor clothing brand Finisterre is set to achieve its ambition of eliminating all plastics packaging which is neither reusable nor biodegradable, after investing in bags which naturally break down in soil and in water.
Mission Possible: Achieving a net-zero carbon future for manufacturing
As the movement towards net-zero carbon takes hold across the commercial sector, this fresh insight report looks at how manufacturing companies are driving forward their own goals.
Amazon under fire for new packaging that cannot be recycled
Amazon has been criticised by environmental groups and customers after introducing a range of plastic packaging that cannot be recycled in the UK.
Co-op lobbies for universal local food waste collection systems
The Co-op has called for the UK Government and local authorities to accelerate the introduction of a universal food waste collection process, claiming that the move could stop more than 350,000 tonnes of food waste being sent to landfill in England alone.
Lidl rolls out reusable produce bags to cut plastics
Lidl has begun selling reusable bags for consumers to put their loose fruit and vegetables in, in what the firm claims is a first for a UK supermarket.
Four years on: How have supermarkets responded to the 5p plastic bag charge?
The UK Government published its annual figures on single-use plastic bag sales last week, revealing that distribution by large retailers has fallen 90% since the 5p charge was introduced. But exactly what role have supermarkets played in that transition?
Iceland to trial UK's first major plastic-bag-free store
Frozen food retailer Iceland is trailing the removal of all plastic bags from one of its stores, replacing them altogether with "extra-strong" paper bags.
Uniqlo to phase out plastic bags
Fashion retailer Uniqlo's parent company Fast Retailing is set to remove single-use plastic bags from its brands, replacing them with reusable and paper alternatives.
Aldi to remove plastic packaging from toilet roll packs
Aldi could save more than 900 tonnes of plastic each year, after announcing trials to remove plastic packaging from toilet roll packs at 174 stores across the UK.
Businesses commit to phase-out eight 'problem plastics' by 2020
Companies signed up to the UK Plastic Pact have committed to removing eight "problem plastics" by 2020, including cutlery, cotton buds and polystyrene packaging, but the decision has sparked calls that self-regulated efforts won't be sufficient enough to avert plastics pollution.
Boots switches to paper bags across UK stores
Boots has become the first UK national pharmacy, health and beauty retailer to phase-out single-use plastic bags, having today (24 June) switched to brown paper bags.
Naked vegetables: Aldi extends plastic-free fresh produce trial to England
Aldi UK is extending a trial of removing plastic packaging from fresh vegetable lines to parts of England, after a pilot programme in Scotland reduced more than three tonnes of plastic.
Fujitsu to phase out plastic cups, straws, bottles and bags
Multinational IT equipment and services giant Fujitsu has unveiled a sweeping new set of plastics reduction pledges, covering bags, drinks bottles, cups, straws and other packaging.
Sainsbury's removes plastic bags from produce and bakery aisles
Sainsbury's has pledged to remove all single-use plastic bags from its fruit, vegetable and produce lines by September, in what it claims will be a first for a UK supermarket.
Morrisons rolls out plastic-free fruit and veg offering nationwide
Supermarket giant Morrisons will roll out packaging-free fruit and veg across 60 of its UK stores this summer, following a successful trial at three of its stores.
Asda removes 6,500 tonnes of plastic from own-brand packaging
UK supermarket Asda has removed 6,500 tonnes of plastic from its own brand packaging over the last 12 months, the equivalent weight of around 600 million empty plastic bottles.
Lidl to trial removal of all plastic bags at Welsh stores
Plans have been announced by supermarket retailer Lidl to remove all 9p plastic bags from its stores in Wales.
Morrisons tests customer appetite for plastic-free shopping in paper bag trial
Supermarket giant Morrisons has this week launched a trial of US-style paper grocery bags, in a bid to gauge consumer attitudes to plastic-free options at the checkout.
Co-op commences plastic bag switch with compostable alternatives at 1,000 stores
The Co-op has kickstarted a phase out single-use plastic bags from more than 1,000 of its UK stores, replacing them with compostable alternatives.
Science-based targets and 'smart' mobility centres: The sustainability success stories of the week
As part of our Mission Possible campaign, edie brings you this weekly round-up of five of the best sustainability success stories of the week from across the globe.
Why Co-op hasn't signed up to the UK Plastics Pact
EXCLUSIVE: The Co-op is one of the two major supermarkets yet to commit to WRAP's collaborative agreement to tackle single-use plastics, but the company's environment manager Iain Ferguson believes that an "enterprising" approach to innovation will enable the retailer to rethink approaches to packaging.
Tesco offers money for plastic bottles in reverse vending trials
Tesco has announced that it will trial in-store reverse vending machines for plastic bottles, as it calls on the UK Government to introduce a nation-wide approach to recycling.
Lidl to stop using black plastic fruit and vegetable packaging
Lidl UK says it will remove black plastic from its entire fruit and vegetable range by the end of the month.
Waitrose to use home-compostable bags in produce aisles and phase-out 5p carrier bags
Waitrose & Partners has announced that it will stop offering single-use plastic bags in its fruit and vegetable aisles and remove 5p carrier bags from its stores, a move that will cut its plastic usage by 134 million bags each year.
Iceland ditches plastic for pre-packed bananas
Frozen food retailer Iceland is switching the packaging for its pre-packed bananas from plastic to a paper band that is 100% recyclable and made from recycled paper, in a move that will save 10 million plastic bags from being used by the company annually.
'Snap Packs' and greener ink: Carlsberg unveils new packaging solutions designed to reduce waste
Danish brewer Carlsberg is set to reduce its global packaging waste by more than 1,200 tonnes annually, after launching new Snap Pack multi-packs for branded beers alongside a host of other closed-loop packaging renovations.
UK plastic bag charge set to double to 10p
The Government has confirmed that it will launch a consultation on whether the nation's current charge for single-use plastic carrier bags should be doubled to 10p and rolled out to every shop in the country.
Iceland launches plastic-free chewing gum in UK first
Frozen food giant Iceland has today (August 1) launched a range of plastic-free chewing gum, making it the first supermarket in the UK to offer a biodegradable alternative.
Sustainable shopping: How are UK supermarkets tackling plastic pollution?
Whether it's products containing microbeads, items sold in unnecessary single-use packaging, or consumers opting for plastic bags at the checkout, Britain's supermarkets are at the epicentre of the plastics problem. Here, edie examines the new actions retailers are taking to reduce avoidable plastic waste.
Iceland tests customer appetite for tackling plastic waste with paper bag trials
Frozen food giant Iceland has this week launched a paper bag trial, in a bid to reduce its plastics output and find out whether customers are willing to ditch plastic carrier bags at the checkout.
Morrisons rolls out paper bags in produce aisles to cut plastic waste
Supermarket chain Morrisons has announced that it will stop offering single-use plastic bags in its fruit and vegetable aisles, in a bid to cut its plastic output by 150 million bags each year.
