Tesco PLC to Eliminate Unnecessary Toothpaste Packaging
Tesco has undertaken a trial in the UK to remove unnecessary toothpaste packaging. Tubes of toothpaste have been placed in cardboard boxes for many years, but now Tesco plans to eliminate this wasteful packaging forever.
It will begin testing how customers react when branded toothpaste is no longer available in this manner from September 21.
The retailer started the ball rolling last November when it scrapped these boxes for its own brand toothpaste, saving more than 55 tonnes of waste per year.
The new trial will take place in over 30 Tesco locations across the UK and will include all of the major toothpaste brands, including Colgate, Oral B, Sensodyne, Aquafresh, and Corsadyl.
If successful, box-free toothpaste will be rolled out to other Tesco stores, potentially saving 680 tonnes of cardboard every year.
Tesco Oral Care Buyer Felicity Bexton said:
“We made a bold move to remove un-needed toothpaste boxes last November on our own brand and have had positive feedback from customers. Now we are working with the major toothpaste brands to join us on this journey.
“Not only is there an opportunity to remove this needless packaging, but it also means being able to transport more tubes in the same amount of space, helping us take delivery lorries off the road too.
“We think that for customers, the move makes sense because the first thing they do when they buy toothpaste is throw the packaging box away!”
This move is part of Tesco's 4Rs packaging strategy, which aims to reduce the impact of packaging waste. Tesco has reduced its annual packaging footprint by more than 3,000 tonnes since the launch of the 4Rs initiative in August 2019.
Source: Tesco
