Carrefour plans to eliminate 5,000 tons of plastic from its packaging by removing excess material, introducing paper-based and reusable formats, and offering deposit-return products, with all savings used to lower product costs.
According to the Plastixx index, the price of virgin plastic is up by 50%. This outcome is attributed to high volatility in oil markets, as well as rising eco-contributions for packaging and paper waste – which are currently believed to exceed €20,000 per one million plastic bottles.
Carrefour’s new packaging initiatives are intended to save over €5 million and remove over 5,000 tons of plastic altogether. The retailer plans to target ‘aisles where plastic packaging remains all too common’ and establish ‘new market standards’ for its packaging.
This includes eliminating excessive plastic packaging on promotional multipacks of private-label products by 2028. Carrefour plans to do the same for national brands by 2030, and expects these changes to avoid the equivalent of 500 tons of plastic.
Secondly, the retailer plans to achieve a 30% reduction in plastic packaging for solid hygiene and household cleaning products by introducing refill formats. Expected to replace large containers, the new packaging is set to be made from recycled plastic and could reduce 2,000 tons of plastic once implemented.
The refillable packaging is also anticipated to be 10% to 20% cheaper than its single-use alternatives.
Similarly, Carrefour intends to expand its range of deposit-return products to over 1,000 products by 2030. This will include the sale of 50 million reusable bottles and the elimination of 500 tons of plastic.
On average, these products will reportedly be 5% cheaper per litre than their non-reusable equivalents.
Additionally, Carrefour plans to avoid 500 tons of plastic by introducing cardboard boxes and plastic windows for its pastries and baked goods. It will cut a further 1,500 tons of plastic by replacing the plastic blister packs used across its entire toiler paper range with 100% paper packaging by 2030.
Carrefour emphasizes that all savings generated from its plastic reduction efforts will be reinvested into price cuts across its products.
The retailer also claims to have removed 25,000 tons of plastic from its operations since the launch of its Act For Food programme in 2018.
“Carrefour was an early adopter in the fight against plastic pollution,” says Alexandre Bompard, chairman and CEO of the Carrefour Group. “Today, we are taking this a step further with an unprecedented initiative in the retail sector: we have chosen to invest the savings generated by fighting plastic back into our customers’ purchasing power.”
In other news, Carrefour has joined fellow retailers Albert Heijn, Aldi, Colruyt, Delhaize, and Lidl in a reusable packaging pilot for mushrooms. Recently nominated for a Sustainability Award under the Thinking Big category, the initiative intends to align with the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation’s upcoming ban on single-use plastics for fresh produce.
Meanwhile, Albert Heijn has announced that over 50% of its own-brand packaging now displays a ‘look, smell, taste’ or hand icon to differentiate between best-before and use-by dates – a move expected to tackle unnecessary food waste and help consumers save money.
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