A retailers view of packaging sustainability by Tesco

At Greiner Packaging’s Future Packaging Day, Paul Earnshaw, Lead Packaging Manager at Tesco, UK’s largest retailers, delivered a keynote speech that offered a practical view on how the retail sector is navigating the complex world of sustainable packaging.

He opened with a sentiment that resonates across markets: “Too much plastic, too much packaging.” It’s a phrase that echoes the concerns of countless consumers. But as he explained in his Keynote, this frustration often stems from confusion rather than clarity. What does sustainable packaging really mean? Is it about eliminating plastic altogether? Reducing cardboard? Or simply ensuring recyclability?

To unpack this, Earnshaw shared a compelling example: waste bins from different countries. While the colors of the bins were similar, their meanings varied significantly. What goes into a green bin in one country might be considered non-recyclable in another. This inconsistency, he argued, creates barriers for consumers who genuinely want to do the right thing, recycle their waste. “We have to make it totally intuitive for the customer,” he emphasized. “It has to be really simple.”

This call for simplicity isn’t just a design preference, it’s a strategic imperative. For Tesco, making sustainability accessible starts with clear communication and user-friendly systems, but also with educating the consumer.

Tesco is actively working to close this knowledge gap through webinars and podcasts. These efforts aim to clarify what truly makes packaging sustainable and how businesses and consumers alike can contribute to meaningful change.

This need for clarity and consistency is what drives Tesco’s internal systems for packaging evaluation. Tesco’s broader sustainability strategy, known as the Planet Plan outlines ambitious yet actionable goals:

• all packaging must be recyclable,
• paper and board must be sustainably sourced,
• and unnecessary packaging should be eliminated. 

To support these efforts internally, Tesco relies on its RAG (Red-Amber-Green) system, a traffic-light framework that categorizes packaging materials and formats based on their environmental impact. Every material in the category red means, they are banned due to their poor recyclability, such as rigid black plastics for example. Materials in the category Amber, like barrier papers or PET flexible films, require prior approval. Green materials, including PET, polyethylene, and polypropylene, are preferred for their high recyclability.

This system doesn’t just guide material selection, it informs design decisions as well. For instance, shelf-ready packaging (SRP) must be optimized for efficiency, with case sizes designed to maximize shelf and pallet fill. These choices reflect a balance between sustainability and operational practicality.

Earnshaw’s insights were a powerful reminder that sustainability is not just a technical challenge, it’s a collective responsibility. Earnshaw’s keynote was more than a presentation, it was a call to action. “All of us can make a difference,” he said. “We have the power and technical ability to do the right thing.”

At Greiner Packaging, we couldn’t agree more. Packaging is more than a container, it’s a reflection of our values. As we continue to innovate and collaborate, we remain committed to creating solutions that are not only sustainable but also practical, scalable, and aligned with the needs of our customers and the planet.