Tesco, ASDA, and Others Commit to Scaling Reusable Packaging Across UK Retail

Image Credit: Asda

Nine of the UK’s major retailers, including ASDA, Tesco, and Ocado Retail, have come together with a shared goal: to make reusable packaging a practical reality both in-store and online. The group has issued a joint Statement of Intent that lays the groundwork for a system where customers can easily shop for prefilled products, helping to reduce the use of single-use packaging significantly.

Backed by the UK government and sustainability charity WRAP, the retailers are working towards a more standardised approach to reuse. The aim is to introduce a system that doesn’t just experiment with small trials but integrates prefilled, reusable packaging into everyday shopping routines.

This collective effort follows research from GoUnpackaged, which highlights the potential benefits of reuse at scale. According to their findings, shifting just 30 per cent of packaging to reusable formats could result in a £136 million annual saving for producers, thanks to lower Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) costs. Additionally, the environmental benefits are substantial, with a 95% reduction in CO2 equivalent emissions for the products involved.

Building on insights from smaller pilot programs, the group of retailers now wants to take a more unified and scalable approach. Their focus is on making reusable packaging easy to use and accessible to customers, whether they’re shopping in a physical store or online. WRAP will act as the coordinating body, helping the group align its goals, develop infrastructure, and understand what consumers need from a reuse system.

The conversation around reusable packaging is gaining momentum. Last year, Victoria Hattersley spoke with circular economy expert Chris Baker on the Packaging Europe podcast to explore what it would take to scale reuse across the retail sector. A follow-up episode featured Stephanie Northen, a PhD researcher in microplastics and a research associate with Revolution Plastics and the Global Plastics Policy Centre. She discussed how reuse could grow within the current policy framework and where collaboration will be most effective.

Adding to the urgency, recent research from environmental charity City to Sea found that 69 per cent of UK consumers believe it’s the government's responsibility to introduce legally binding reuse and refill targets. The same report revealed that 77 per cent of shoppers want retailers to move beyond short-term trials and roll out permanent reusable, refillable, and returnable packaging options. The pressure is on. Retailers, policymakers, and consumers all seem to agree: the time to rethink packaging is now.