Research from environmental charity City to Sea suggests that 69% of UK consumers hold the government responsible for setting legally binding reuse and refill targets in order to tackle single-use packaging waste.
Citing a report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the charity says that while recycling has been recommended as a solution to the plastic waste crisis, only 9% of plastic has been successfully recycled, with the remainder dumped in landfills, incinerated or left in the environment. It states that of those surveyed, 64% of shoppers across the country agreed that reusable, refillable and returnable packaging systems are more effective at reducing waste than recycling.
City to Sea adds that with the urgent need to tackle single-use plastic pollution at scale, 77% of consumers want to see all retailers offer long-term reusable, refillable, and returnable packaging schemes instead of short-term pilots. The polling reportedly showed that 75% believe the government and businesses must deliver a sustainable circular economy to tackle climate change.
City to Sea revealed the research Global Reuse Summit due to be held on the 12th March, in partnership with Ecosurety.
The reuse targets set out in the PPWR include 80% of hot and cold beverage packaging, 25% of most alcohol minus wine and 40% of pre-prepared takeaway food packaging to be reusable by 2040. Last August we summarized the main points of the regulation and the conversations around it in an edition of The Brief.
At the end of 2024 Ocado Retail extended its Reuse range into its liquid detergent and fabric conditioner products, hoping to reduce the amount of single-use plastics generated in consumers’ weekly shops. The move came after the retailer trialled the distribution of its pasta and rice products in reusable packaging.
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