Tesco will remove one billion pieces of plastic from the products it sells UK stores by as a part of its plan to tackle plastic pollution.

Tesco’s 4Rs plan – remove, reduce, reuse, recycle - means it will remove non-recyclable and excess packaging from its business, and if it can’t be removed Tesco will work with its suppliers to reduce it to an absolute minimum.

Tesco will be removing small plastic bags, commonly used to pack loose fruit, vegetables and bakery items and replacing them with paper ones, plastic trays from ready meals, secondary lids on products such as cream, yoghurts and cereals, sporks and straws from snack pots and drinks cartons and 200 million pieces of plastic used to pack clothing and greetings cards.

The retailer has worked with its suppliers, making clear that it reserves the right to no longer stock products that use excessive or hard to recycle materials. Tesco has also already stopped offering carrier bags with online deliveries, saving 250 million bags being produced every year.

Tesco CEO Dave Lewis said: “Over the next twelve months, we will remove one billion pieces of plastic, further reducing the environmental impact of the products we sell. By focusing on solutions that we can apply across all our UK stores and supply chain, we can make a significant difference and achieve real scale in our efforts to tackle plastic.”

The move follows Tesco’s review of packaging last year, and builds on its 2018 pledge to remove hard-to-recycle materials.

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