Aussie supermarkets Aldi Woolworths, Coles IGA ranked by their plastic reduction efforts

Australian supermarkets have been criticized for “slow efforts” as a new report ranks their use of unnecessary plastics, with one chain calling the results “disappointing”.

A new report from the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS), in collaboration with Boomerang Alliance, reveals supermarkets are not doing enough to reduce their use of plastic, calling their efforts “slow”.

The first independent audit of supermarket plastics has ranked Aldi first in cutting plastics, with a rating of two stars out of five.

The German company recorded a 21.7% reduction in plastic consumption on its fresh produce and was the only supermarket to apply sustainable packaging guidelines to its suppliers.

Coles came second with 1.5 stars, after being named best performer in reuse implementing trials such as a reusable box for online orders in Tasmania.

In third place, Woolworths received a meager star, which was “unwilling or unable” to provide evidence of progress against most targets.

No stars were awarded to Metcash, owner of the Foodland and IGA franchises, lagging far behind in national sustainability efforts with little evidence that it has worked with its retailers to reduce plastic use.

The AMCS found that supermarkets only apply plastic reduction targets to their own brand products, not all the other brands they sell.

It was found that fresh fruit and vegetables packaged in plastic were also often cheaper than bulk produce.

The scores were compiled by assessing each supermarket’s performance on plastic reduction (40 percent of the score), recycling and reusable products (20 percent of the score), with the remaining 20 percent made up of political categories of transparency and policy, planning and governance.

Most supermarkets are reluctant to publicly disclose data on their packaging footprint, the report said.

Shane Cucow, head of the AMCS Plastics campaign, said our oceans were choking on plastic, with around 11 million tonnes entering the water each year – even though plastic has only been around for around 80 years.

“This figure is expected to triple by 2040 if we do not act,” Cucow added.

“Plastic packaging is one of the worst offenders, with soft plastics, food packaging and beverage waste making up almost 70 per cent of all plastics found by Clean Up Australia volunteers. It’s time to get serious about reducing soft and other hard-to-clean plastics. -recycle packaging.

“We are pleased to see Aldi leading the way with specific plastic packaging reduction targets, including a target to reduce plastic in the produce aisle,” he continued.

“It is extremely disappointing to see Woolworths in third place, due to the lack of clear targets to reduce plastic use and the lack of transparency about its plastic footprint.”

“As the largest retailer by market share, Woolworths should use its influence to get its suppliers to reduce unnecessary plastic packaging,” Cucow argued.

Three out of four supermarkets responded to the report, with Aldi and Coles highlighting their commitments to reducing plastic use and recycling.

Metcash promised to take into account the report’s recommendations and consider making improvements.

However, Woolworths described the results as “disappointing” and said the study was based on incomplete data.

“As a result, this is not a reliable reflection of the sustainability of packaging at Woolworths,” a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

“We know there is still more to do and we will continue to publish our packaging data to hold ourselves accountable for our progress, while encouraging our suppliers to do the same,” they added.

Woolworths said it has “led” the grocery sector in eliminating everyday single-use plastic items and has removed more than 1.4 million kilograms of virgin plastic from its range since 2018.

“While we cannot impose packaging changes on other brands that supply to us, we have issued guidelines on problematic materials and sustainable packaging to our suppliers to encourage them to make positive changes,” the door said. -speech.

“The majority of our fruit and vegetable range is sold in bulk, but we sell some items packaged to extend shelf life or offer products in bulk.

“In many cases, bulk produce will be less expensive than their packaged alternatives. However, when it comes to bulk packaged fruit or vegetables, by selling a large volume in a single product, we can often offer customers a lower price per piece.” they added.

Key data available in the annual Woolworths Sustainability Report, audited by Deloitte, was not referenced in the AMCS report, the spokesperson said.

The study comes almost a year to the day the RedCycle recycling program ended following revelations that participating supermarkets were stockpiling soft plastics rather than processing them.

“Australia aims to recover 70% of plastic packaging by 2025, but recovery rates are stagnating at just 18%, with the growing use of soft plastics a major problem,” Cucow said.

“Even before the collapse of REDcycle, Australia was able to process less than 5% of soft plastics per year.”

Supermarkets still have a lot of work to do, the campaign manager added, but each product manufacturer must also be held accountable for their packaging choices.

“Unless the government is willing to step in and regulate, many companies will continue to use non-recyclable and unsustainable packaging, undercutting their competitors’ prices,” Cucow said.

“We need clear laws on the use of packaging. We are urging the Australian Government to set binding national plastic reduction targets, to ensure all retailers are doing their fair share to reduce their impact on the environment.

The report suggests implementing minimum actions such as ensuring bulk fresh produce is competitive with plastic packaged produce, and eliminating plastic fruit stickers, produce bags and pre-packaged straws and cutlery .

Boomerang Alliance director Jeff Angel said reuse and refill systems were a huge missed opportunity, with Australians ready to embrace everyday reusable items such as bags, cups and bottles.

“Supermarkets have an extensive presence and capabilities in terms of reverse logistics, so we would like them to offer services such as beverage refill stations for milk and juice, BYO container options for deli meats and dry goods, and true plastic-free reuse options for food products. laundry and cleaning products,” he added.