Sustainable practices wanted in supermarkets in the UK 2023
Over 70 percent of surveyed consumers in the UK stated that they would like to see UK supermarkets implement food waste management practices. Other environmentally friendly practices that topped the list included reducing plastic usage and energy efficiency.
Plastic waste in the UK
Approximately 2.3 million metric tons of plastic packaging waste are generated in the UK annually. The generation of plastic packaging waste in the UK has slightly decreased recently, following an increasing trend from 2017 to 2021. About 52.5 percent of this plastic packaging is recycled. The recycling rate of plastic packaging waste in the UK has increased considerably over the last decade. Almost 96.6 billion items of plastic packaging waste are discarded each year by households in the UK.
The most common items of plastic packaging waste thrown away by UK households are snack bags, packets, and wrappers. About 1.01 million such items are discarded annually. Additionally, approximately 835 thousand items of plastic waste come from other soft drink and beverage packaging.
Purchasing of sustainable products among consumers in the UK
Efforts to tackle plastic packaging waste are accompanied by a rising interest in sustainable products among UK households. In the food and beverage sector, the primary reason for purchasing sustainable products in the UK is that they are better for nature and the environment, as reported by more than half of British survey participants. While many consumers aim to purchase sustainable products, there are numerous barriers that prevent them from doing so more often. Two of the leading requirements for consumers in the UK to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle are better schemes for removing plastic and packaging and greater clarity on how to dispose of or recycle old products. However, the main requirement is to make sustainable alternatives more affordable. Although higher prices for sustainable products deter some consumers, nearly a quarter of consumers in the UK state they are willing to pay more for brands that produce sustainable packaging and products.
