With pressure mounting on retailers to cut excessive packaging, UK supermarket chain Asda says it is going “full swede ahead” with its own plastic pledge, removing plastic wrapping from all its whole swedes.
Each year, the retailer sells almost 6 million swedes, with the removal of their wraps resulting in a reduction of 14 tonnes of plastic.
The removal of the plastic wrapping also sees the shelf-life remain the same as previously, with the British-grown veg perfect for up to seven days.
The move is part of Asda’s pledge to use less and recycle more plastic, with a plan to reduce plastic packaging in own brand products by an initial 10% by February 2019.
Nikki Dixon, senior manager for plastic reduction at Asda said: “We’re committed to reducing our plastic usage across own brand products, lowering our impact on the environment and helping families to avoid plastic waste in their homes. Working closely with our British growers to ensure delicious veg is available throughout the year, our naked swedes will maintain their taste credentials, without the need for any plastic.”