A trial to remove “unneeded” toothpaste packaging in the UK has been launched by Tesco. Rather than tubes of toothpaste being packed in a cardboard box, Tesco says it is hoping to remove this “unnecessary piece of packaging” permanently.
Last November, the supermarket scrapped these boxes for its own-brand toothpaste – a move which it says will lead to the saving of more than 55 tonnes of cardboard each year.
The new trial will take place in nearly 30 Tesco stores across the UK and will include all the major toothpaste brands such as Colgate, Oral B, Sensodyne, Aquafresh and Corsadyl.
If successful, box-less toothpaste will then be rolled out across other Tesco stores, which the supermarket says could lead to a potential saving of 680 tonnes of cardboard a year.
Now we are working with the major toothpaste brands to join us on this journey.
The move is part of Tesco’s 4Rs packaging strategy to tackle the impact of packaging waste. Since the launch of the 4Rs strategy in August 2019, Tesco says it has reduced packaging by more than 3,000 tonnes from its annual footprint.
Tesco Oral Care Buyer, Felicity Bexton, said: “We made a bold move to remove unneeded toothpaste boxes last November on our own-brand and have had positive feedback from customers. Now we are working with the major toothpaste brands to join us on this journey.
“Not only is there an opportunity to remove this needless packaging, but it also means being able to transport more tubes in the same amount of space, helping us take delivery lorries off the road too.
“We think that for customers the move makes sense because the first thing they do when they buy toothpaste is throw the packaging box away.”