The new packaging has 95% less plastic than the previous version and it will help the firm to eliminate eight million pieces of plastic by end of the year
The new packaging for British Collection vine tomatoes. (Credit: Marks and Spencer plc)
British multinational retailer M&S has launched new recyclable packaging for its British Collection vine tomatoes to make its grocery products more sustainable.
The new offering replaces a difficult-to-recycle plastic sleeve with recyclable cardboard and a small amount of plastic film.
It maintains the tomatoes’ freshness and allows the pack to be recycled as cardboard in a household recycling container.
All M&S shops as well as Ocado will now offer three on-the-vine tomato varieties: Piccolo, Pomodolci, and Capella in the new packaging.
The concept was created in collaboration with The Reflex Packaging Group of Leicester and was influenced by conventional sandwich packaging.
M&S said that the new packaging has 95% less plastic than the previous version and it will help the firm to eliminate eight million pieces of plastic by end of the year.
M&S Food technical director Andrew Clappen said: “At M&S we know our customers are deeply concerned about the environment and rightly expect us to make our products as sustainable as possible.
“That’s why we’re exploring recyclable packaging alternatives for our products, which also help us to meet our plastic reduction targets.
“We want our customers to shop with confidence knowing that the trusted value M&S is famous for means not only delicious, great value and quality produce but a more sustainable choice.”
M&S has committed to making its all food packaging recyclable by 2025 and pledged to eliminate one billion units of plastic food packaging by 2027.
It also removed around 748,000 pieces of plastic by using widely recyclable packaging for its Mandagold tangerines last year.
The company has plans to roll out its citrus lines, including Blood Oranges, available in the earth packaging later this year.
M&S has introduced recycling take-back units in more than 500 UK stores to make it simpler for customers to recycle soft plastics.