Claire Lorains, director of sustainability and quality at Tesco Group, highlighted the importance of this change:
“Eliminating unnecessary plastic is an important way for Tesco to reduce its environmental impact. The new paper packaging works just as well as the old plastic packaging, but can be thrown into the regular recycling bin along with other paper.”
Tesco has taken a significant leap in sustainability in its pasta section. Starting this week, the supermarket chain finer The dry pasta range will be sold in paper packaging, thus eliminating more than 10 million pieces of plastic per year, the equivalent of more than 30 tonnes of waste.
The ecological change affects 10 Tesco varieties finer Pasta, available now in major Tesco stores and Tesco Express stores. The new packaging is 100% recyclable and can be disposed of in household recycling bins.
This move aligns with Tesco’s broader 4R (Remove, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) packaging strategy, introduced in 2019. The initiative has so far eliminated more than 2.3 million pieces of plastic across Tesco’s operations in the United Kingdom.
Key innovations in Tesco’s sustainability efforts
- Plastic-free tissue packaging: Tesco has become the first UK supermarket to remove plastic packaging from its own-brand pocket tissue multi-packs, saving more than 55 million pieces of soft plastic.
- Recycled materials in household products: The retailer has introduced a new range of luxury toilet paper rolls and kitchen towels made from recycled cardboard materials. The innovative production process uses less water, chemicals and energy compared to traditional methods.
Pasta lines now in paper packaging
The finer The range of pasta varieties benefiting from the new packaging includes:
- Barley Pasta (500g)
- Casarecce (500g)
- Orecchiette (500 g)
- Spaghetti bucatini (500 g)
- Linguini (500g)
- Rigatoni (500g)
- Fusilli (500g)
- Almond cookies (500 g)
- Shells (500g)
- Pasta Penne Rigate (500 g)
Tesco’s continued commitment to sustainability reinforces its leadership in the fight against plastic waste and sets a strong example for other retailers to follow.