Almost 30 billion pieces of plastic could safely be removed from grocers’ shelves around the UK each year, according to research.
The Material Change Index found that 51 per cent of food and drink items in British supermarkets were contained in plastic unnecessarily.
Commissioned by packaging giant DS Smith and conducted by insight specialist Retail Economics, the study showed that much plastic in shops could be replaced with an alternative or significantly reduced in weight.
The research identified that most of the unnecessary use of the material was for processed foods.
Of six countries analysed, the UK was the most reliant on plastics for food and drink, closely followed by Spain, then Italy, Germany, Poland and lastly France.
Almost all European food manufacturers and retailers had commitments to reduce plastic packaging.
Cost of raw material was identified as the biggest obstacle, closely followed by a fear that consumers would not accept changes.
DS Smith chief executive Miles Roberts said: “Good progress has been made but there is more to do. Government can and should demand more of us all – phasing out certain plastics to create a level playing field that encourages innovation and investment and generates healthy competition to replace plastic.”
