North Warwickshire and Bedworth’s MP Craig Tracey has joined with other Members of Parliament and has written to all of Britain’s supermarkets urging them to follow Iceland’s lead and ban unnecessary plastic packaging.
Mr Tracey explained:
“Our environment now has a wider focus than ever and what we are doing to our world is very concerning. We must act now while we still can in order to reverse the amount of plastic waste ending up in our oceans. Programs such as Blue Planet has made more people aware of the scale of the issue and I welcome Iceland’s announcement to phases our plastic packaging.
“I am pleased that the Government is making protecting our environment a priority, the use of plastic microbeads in rinse-off cosmetics and personal care products is now banned, regardless of whether they are used as exfoliants, cleansers or otherwise. The Prime Minister also recently announced a 25 year environmental strategy.”
The letter which was signed by a cross section of MP’s and sent directly to the bosses of UK supermarkets states:
‘…As I am sure you are aware, the supermarket chain Iceland, announced today that it will eliminate plastic packaging from all its own brand products by the end of 2023. This is an important step forward in tackling the problem of excessive plastic packaging and preventing further damage to our environment.
We are keen to know if [supermarket] will also commit to eliminating such packaging by 2023, if not before. Moreover, we would be most grateful if you could provide us with information on what plans are currently in place to reduce plastic packaging on your own branded goods.
Each year we produce over 300 million tonnes of plastic- equivalent to the weight of the world’s entire population. Of this, it has been estimated that over 12 million tonnes of such plastic end up in our seas and oceans, which can entangle and become ingested by marine life.
When plastic was created it was hailed as a miracle product precisely because of its toughness and its apparent indestructibility. These very qualities are the reason why we need swift and decisive action to tackle this problem of global proportions and secure the future of our environment…’