Asda aims to ban all single-use plastic from its supermarket cafés by the end of 2019.

Ongoing efforts to ban plastic

The trial forms part of several retailer's ongoing efforts to ban the material. In fact, the grocer has already removed plastic items from its Beeston store (Leeds), including straws, disposable cups and cutlery. It has introduced instead wooden cutlery, paper straws and food containers made from organic material which can be disposed of along food waste. In addition, pizza boxes have been replaced with metal plates.

If deemed a success, the trial will be extended nationally.

Promoting recycling

Three recycling bins have been installed at the Beeston store café to enable the recycling of food waste, coffee cups, bottles and cans. Asda is also rewarding customers who can provide their own cup with a 25p discount on hot drinks.

Looking into 2019

Having already met its 2018 objective to remove 6,500 tonnes of plastic from its own-brand packaging, Asda has committed to eliminating single-use plastic from all its supermarket cafés by the end of 2019.

Asda senior director for sustainable business Chris Brown said: “Across the whole business we are looking at ways we can reduce our own plastic use, as well as helping customers and colleagues reduce their own. Going single-use plastic-free in our cafés will mean thousands of our customers will be able to use a little less plastic each day.”

Check out the Asda hub for more on its other initiatives.

We’ve brought together the latest news and initiatives relating to recycling and sustainability. In this round-up, we’ll review how Tesco is planning to trial a new innovative system that converts plastic to oil, while Asda is set to launch a partnership that aims to increase the recyclability of baby food pouches. We’ll also look at Aldi’s pledge to develop fully sustainable packaging by 2025, while in Russia, Budweiser is launching the ReCup sports arena using recycled plastic bottles.

Tesco to trial an innovative system that converts soft plastics back into oil…

Tesco has sealed a deal with Swindon-based recycling firm Recycling Technologies which will allow it to trial a brand-new system that converts soft plastics back into oil. Waste plastic would initially be collected from 10 stores across Swindon and Bristol. Customers will be encouraged to bring items that are usually not collected by local authorities such as pet food pouches, carrier bags and crisp packets into specific collection points across the 10 stores in question. The collected waste will be then fed to Recycling Technologies machines where it will be converted to solid oil that can be used into the manufacturing of new plastic products.

This initiative is a part of Tesco’s aim to meet its UK Plastics Act commitment (100% recyclable, reusable or biodegradable plastic packaging by 2025). Tesco’s director of quality Sarah Bradbury said, “Reducing and recycling plastics is such an important issue for us, for customers and for the future of our planet. Our trial with Recycling Technologies will make even more of our packaging recyclable and help us reach our 2025 target. This technology could be the final piece of the jigsaw for the UK plastic recycling industry.”

Tesco has also been working recently to drive the creation of a closed loop system for plastics and offered reverse vending machines in support for a national deposit return scheme.

Asda, TerraCycle and Ella's Kitchen partnership to roll out baby food pouch recycling scheme…

Ella’s Kitchen has been working with TerraCycle since 2010 on a recycling solution for baby food pouches. Over 400 public drop-off points have been created so far in the UK for the pouches to be sent to TerraCycle for recycling. Aiming to double the number of pouches recycled by 2021, a six-month trial has been launched which will see Freepost envelopes (where up to 15 food pouches of any brand can be placed) provided at 37 Asda stores. The envelops are then posted to TerraCycle to be recycled into new items such as benches and fence posts.

Ella’s Kitchen’s head Mark Cuddigan said: “Our pouches are great in so many ways, they’re lightweight, convenient and they keep our yummy organic food tasty and safe for little ones. But our big challenge is that they are not currently accepted for recycling by local councils in the UK.

“We want to change this and that’s why we’re proud to have partnered with Asda to offer a new way for parents and carers to recycle all of their baby food pouches through our EllaCycle programme.”

At the same time, Aldi pledges fully sustainable packaging by 2025

Converting 100% of its packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable materials by 2025: That is the goal Aldi has set itself. The retailer is also aiming to reduce packaging by 15% and add How2Recycle labels on all its Aldi-exclusive products. Traditionally, Aldi has long been active in plastic reduction, deliberately avoiding single-use shopping bags for over 40 years. It is also maintaining its Aldi Corporate Responsibility programme which enabled 250,000 tons of materials from its stores to be recycled last year.

And finally, Budweiser is using plastic bottles to create a coating for a new football pitch…

One of the official partners of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Budweiser, has managed to collect and recycle more than 50,000 cups with the help of a local committee that were used to create a wear-resistant coating for a new football pitch for the Budweiser ReCup Arena in Sochi, Russia.

“The FIFA World Cup is a celebration for millions of fans not only in Russia, but around the world. Throughout the tournament, Budweiser surprised fans with its activations, gave them euphoric emotions, so we decided to create a unique facility – Budweiser ReCup Arena – specifically to extend this experience. Hopefully, this pitch will remind us of the past tournament and, probably, will help someone start a promising football career,” AB InBev’s Efes marketing director Konstantin Tamirov said.

Asda has worked with Clipper Logistics since 2008. The partnership agreement has been a successful collaboration, with Clipper managing online order fulfilment and returns, storage and receipts from its sites in Ollerton and Doncaster.

Continuing a successful partnership

Asda's senior director for central logistics, Chris Hall said: “We are looking forward to a continued partnership with Clipper for fulfilment of our George.com e-commerce ranges through their Ollerton site. "Clipper has a long history of excellent service and this contract builds upon their expertise and experience to deliver for our customers. We look forward to the future with Clipper in this fast paced, highly demanding sector.”

Source: Clipper

Carl Muir, operations director at Clipper Logistics, said: “Our relationship with the Asda and George brands has gone from strength to strength over the last 10 years, and we are delighted to be continually valued as an agile and innovative partner. "We are looking forward to expanding together with Asda, as increased volumes drive additional resource requirements, with the possible addition of a further packing machine in 2019. We look forward to continuing to maintain our strong service levels and reinforce the efficiency/effectiveness of our partnership.”

E-Fulfillment Solutions

Clipper Logistics upgraded its Ollerton site to further develop its supply chain offering to Asda. During a 16-week project, the warehouse system was upgraded, several conveyors were installed and a new team was both recruited and trained. Further to these physical developments, Clipper also integrated its warehouse management system with ASDA’s IT systems providing additional support to the customer order process.