In recent months, the plastic crisis has gained some well-needed traction and more and more companies, and individuals are beginning to understand the importance of ditching plastic for more sustainable materials.
BBC’s Blue Planet has a lot to answer for, with the recent shift in attitude, as it provided the nation with shocking evidence of the damage that plastic has on the environment and the creatures that inhabit it.
With plastic making up 85% of beach litter across the globe, and Britons using 7.7 billion single-use plastic bottles every year, it is no surprise that it is causing havoc on planet earth.
If individuals and brands don’t start ditching plastic soon, then there will be more plastic in the ocean, by weight, than there are fish by 2050.
Here we look at 10 UK companies that are already ditching plastic from their packaging:
10 Companies Ditching Plastic
- McDonald’s
One of the biggest fast-food chains not just in the UK but in the world, McDonald’s started making tracks to ditching plastic packaging in May this year when they switched to paper straws. As well as making their straws 100% recyclable they have also made the change that customers must request straws instead of giving them out to everyone with their orders, resulting in a considerable drop in consumption.
- Aldi
The much-loved discount supermarket is making significant changes to their packaging in the UK in their bid for ditching the plastic and becoming more environmentally friendly. They are in the process of introducing recyclable trays for selected fresh produce, which is estimated to save 265 tonnes of packaging in just one year. In addition to ditching plastic, Aldi is also trying to use more recycled plastic in their packaging that can’t be abolished altogether.
- Iceland
Another supermarket favourite, Iceland has committed to ditching plastic completely within the next five years. The retailer will be replacing plastic packaging with paper and pulp alternatives, which will be 100% recyclable and can be recycled through domestic waste collections as well as in-store recycling facilities.
- Nestle Waters UK
Bottled water and soft drink manufacturer, Nestle Waters UK, has teamed up with many other brands in the industry including Lucozade Ribena Suntory and Harrogate Water Brands to eliminate plastic packaging waste. They have produced a report alongside the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) revealing a roadmap to ditching plastic by 2025.
- Pizza Express
Thanks to 5-year-old pizza lover Ava, Pizza Express is also ditching plastic straws in a bid to help animal welfare and the environment. The young girl wrote a letter to the chain explaining her concerns about using plastic straws as ‘they are very bad for animals’, encouraging the restaurant brand to switch to a paper alternative.
- Marks & Spencer
The clothing and food brand recently joined over 40 other companies in signing a pledge agreeing to ditch the plastic and cut plastic pollution in the next seven years. They will make changes such as ditching plastic packaging that is deemed unnecessary such as for packs of fresh fruit and vegetables.
The UK Plastics Pact covers roughly 80% of all plastic packaging on Britain’s supermarket shelves and includes initiatives such as allowing consumers to bring their own containers to supermarket meat counters.
- Costa
As well as ditching plastic straws for biodegradable alternatives, coffee giant Costa has stated that they intend to review their takeaway coffee cups to find a more environmentally friendly solution. 2.5 billion disposable cups are thrown away every year in the UK, and just 1% of these are currently recycled, so any reduction in this area would be a great help to the environment.
- Pret a Manger
The global sandwich and coffee franchise has been making big changes to help reduce their plastic footprint in recent months. As well as ditching plastic straws for paper alternatives, they also offer customers a 50p discount in the UK if they bring their own reusable coffee cup in a bid to reduce consumption of takeaway cups.
- Bacardi
Bacardi created their award-winning ‘Good Spirited’ campaign which was designed to reduce the company’s environmental impact in sourcing, packaging and operations. They began by ditching plastic straws in the UK back in 2016, making them one of the first big brands to jump on the banning plastic straws bandwagon.
- Hilton
The hotel giant has a significant presence in the UK and has committed to removing over 5 million plastic straws and 20 million plastic water bottles every year across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, a move that will cut Hilton’s global environmental impact in half by 2030.
