Our approach

At Tesco, we are convinced that it is simply wrong to throw away good food when one in nine people falls asleep hungry every night. We also know that packaging plays an important role in protecting products and reducing food waste - but it should not be to the detriment of the unacceptable impact on our planet.

At Tesco, we are convinced that it is simply wrong to throw away good food when one in nine people falls asleep hungry every night. We also know that packaging plays an important role in protecting products and reducing food waste - but it should not be to the detriment of the unacceptable impact on our planet.

Reducing food waste  

Tesco is the only retailer in Central Europe to measure and publish its food waste data. In 2018/19 our total food waste was reduced to 28,663 tonnes compared to 54,102 tonnes in 207/18 across the region. Transparency and measurement are important in identifying bottlenecks and addressing the causes of food waste. It helps everyone understand how much, where and how food is wasted.

Food waste is too big a problem for only one company to fight. We call on all other food companies to commit to halving global food waste by 2030 and to publish their own data on food waste.

Food donation

In 2018/19 we donated 13,737 tons of food to our partners among food banks. This represents 34 million servings. We have been cooperating with food banks for many years in Poland and Hungary, and in the Czech Republic and Slovakia we played a central role in developing national food bank networks.  

We are the largest partner of food banks in Central Europe and in 2016 we signed a strategic partnership agreement with them to jointly strengthen the infrastructure for donating food surpluses in each country.

Packaging sustainability

4R approach

In order to improve the sustainability of our own brand product packaging and respond to its global complexity, we are applying the same approach across all our markets called the 4R approach (from English Remove, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). In line with this approach we’re taking action to:

• Remove all non-recyclable and hard to recycle materials;
• Where we can’t remove, reduce it to an absolute minimum;
• Explore new opportunities to reuse it, and if we can’t, then;
• Ensure it is all recycled as part of a closed loop.

Removing Hard-To-Recycle Materials

In 2019 we committed to eliminating all hard-to-recycle materials from our own brand packaging in Central Europe by the end of 2020.

In consultation with suppliers and industry experts, we regularly review the materials used in our Own Brand packaging and publish a preferred material list (please note the list is subject to change). The preferred materials on the list are already easily recycled and can be made from recycled content. Examples include PET plastics, PP plastics for non-food applications, PP plastics for non-food applications, metal, glass and sustainably sourced board and paper.

We have also identified those that are not easily recycled and most harmful to the environment, such as PVC and polystyrene (sometimes used for yoghurt pots) and PLA (polylactic acid - which can be found in films and bags). So far we have removed over 454 tonnes of the hard to recycle materials from our products.  

We will no longer accept any new products into our business with excessive packaging or in the hard to recycle materials for new Own Brand products.

                                       454 tonnes

Hard to recycle materials removed from Own Brand packaging in Central Europe so far (September 2020)

                                       130 tonnes

Hard to recycle materials removed from Own Brand packaging in the Czech Republic so far (September 2020)

Which represent                                                          

82 %

Of these materials in the Czech Republic (September 2020)

Reducing packaging

In order to further reduce the impact of packaging on the environment, Tesco is redesigning its own label products, decreasing the amount of materials used to an absolute minimum. New products come with lighter packaging or go through new production technology that allows to remove or replace selected parts of the packaging.

Reducing weight of packaging has a positive impact not only on decreasing plastic and other waste, but also helps to cut carbon emissions. Lighter packaging means less energy used for transporting products.

                                          64 tonnes

of plastic has been removed from own brand packaging thanks to redesign in the Central Europe

Reusing packaging

Euro Pool System

Since 2014 Tesco has been cooperating with Euro Pool System and introduced reusable folding trays for transportation of fresh food products such as fruit, vegetables and meat. The development has been enormous - in 2014 around 14 million trays were used by the suppliers of Tesco, in 2018 this number has increased to over 40 million trays.

The reusable trays are made to last approximately 7 years and are 100% recyclable. According to a calculation model developed by the German organisation Fraunhofer Institute commissioned by SIM (Foundation for Reusable Systems) by using trays instead of single-use packaging Tesco and its suppliers make an impressive yearly savings in CO2 emissions:

CZ : 3656 tonnes

HU : 3725 tonnes

PL : 4000 tonnes

SK : 2509 tonnes

CE: 13 890 tonnes

F&F hangers reuse scheme

Our clothing brand F&F is working in partnership with TIC Group to ensure that we do all we can to maximise our garment hanger reuse. They have implemented a global reuse system that is a smarter choice for sustainable retail because:

• It is designed with the environment in mind
• Reduces the impact on landfill
• Ensures that plastic waste is kept to a minimum and out of our oceans
• Lowers our carbon footprint

By re-using garment hangers rather than manufacturing them new it not only reduces the number of hangers reaching landfill but also saves 34% of carbon emissions and 86% of water from the ecological footprint of each hanger. Each year, TIC Group diverts enough garment hangers back into the re-use programme that if laid end to end would go around the world three times.

                                               5.3 million

F&F hangers weighing over 192 tonnes have been reused since the start in 2019 the Central Europe