Asda is to become the first supermarket to commit to the removal of avoidable plastic from the greeting cards stocked in its stores. From January, Asda will start to remove ‘cellowrapping’ from the vast majority of the cards stocked. The only exceptions will be the more delicate, hand-crafted cards that will remain in a plastic ‘sleeve’ to protect them against damage.
The decision is expected to save over 50 million individual cellophane bags annually – equivalent to over 100 tonnes of plastic.
Nikki Dixon, Asda’s senior manager for plastic reduction, said: “We know that customers are looking to reduce the amount of plastic they use and want us to help them to do so. Our shoppers love sending greeting cards and this change will mean they don’t need to worry about their impact on the environment – just that the card gets there on time!”
The removal of wrap on cards follows a successful ten-store trial earlier this year.
In February this year, Asda outlined plans to use less and recycle more plastic, including reducing own brand plastic packaging by an initial 10% by February 2019 and making its packaging 100% recyclable by 2025. It’s also working with experts at Leeds Beckett University to look at future alternatives to plastic.
Last month, Asda announced that it would remove plastic wrap from its whole swedes, saving six million pieces of plastic a year. This news comes a few weeks after Sainsbury’s announced on PG Buzz that it is trialling ‘naked’ cards in 10 of its stores. (https://www.pgbuzz.net/sainsburys-goes-naked-unwrapping-all-greeting-cards-in-a-10-store-trial/)
