Marks & Spencer launches loose fruit and veg trial in a bid to cut plastic use
Marks & Spencer is piloting a scheme where it will sell over 90 lines of loose fruit and vegetables as it looks to reduce the amount of plastic packaging it uses.
With the trial taking place at its Tolworth store, M&S has introduced trained greengrocers to advise customers as they select their products from two aisles of fruit and vegetables that are free of plastic packaging. They will also provide tips on how best to preserve fresh produce at home as the retailer has also has removed “best before” date labels from fresh fruit and vegetables as part of the trial.
More perishable items such as soft fruits and berries will be sold in compostable punnets.
In addition to the trial, M&S is looking to replace plastic produce bags with paper ones and phase out plastic barcode stickers.
Louise Nicholls, head of food sustainability, said: “Our trial at Tolworth is an important milestone in our plastic reduction journey and bringing back the traditional greengrocer will play a key part in educating our customers. Our plan is to create long-term impact in the future using tangible insights from the Tolworth store trial.”
M&S said the initiative will support its target of becoming a zero-waste business by 2025.
