Supermarket giants Tesco and Sainsbury’s have been criticised for allegedly misleading customers about their front-of-store recycling schemes.
The Everyday Plastic campaign group and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) investigation revealed that soft waste dropped off at collection points had been sent overseas and burnt for energy.
This comes as both companies claimed to be close to hitting their voluntary packaging recyclability targets.
70% of soft waste was burned for energy
According to campaigners, Apple tracking devices were placed on 40 bundles of soft waste – such as single-use bags, films and wrappers – and dropped off at collection points in July 2023.
These devices were found to have travelled over 25,000km across the UK and overseas. Seven were turned into fuel pellets, five were burned for energy and four were downcycled into lower-value plastic products in Turkey.
Meanwhile, just one bundle was downcycled in the UK, while 70% were burned for energy.
Alison Colclough, Research Director at Everyday Plastic, stated: “The take-back schemes are being presented as a solution, which is diverting attention from the main issue that can’t be overlooked; far too much unnecessary plastic packaging is being produced.”
However, Tesco claimed that the materials sent to Turkey were due to a supplier error.
“We have a clear plan to remove packaging wherever possible and reducing, reusing and recycling it where we can’t,” the spokesperson stated. “Where it is not possible to recycle the collected plastic, we put it to alternative uses to avoid these materials going to landfill, for example using it for energy recovery.”
A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s said that while the company is “always seeking ways to positively manage the end of life of our packing”, soiled or damaged material may need to be converted to energy.
Tesco and Sainsbury’s core values: expectation vs reality
Both supermarkets have listed sustainability as a core value.
On the Tesco website, its “planet” value reads: “Our commitment to sustainability is core to our business. It drives our work across our own operations and our supply chain to reduce our environmental impact and support a healthier way of living.”
According to its climate change page, the company reported that it had achieved a 61% reduction of emissions from its operations, exceeding its 2025 target of 60%. Data reported by Retail Week also revealed that 10% of shoppers believed Tesco to be the most sustainable retailer – ranking it second on the list behind Marks & Spencer at 13%.
However, Tesco was forced to change its food waste reduction figures in January 2024, when it was discovered that tens of thousands of waste tonnes were sent to anaerobic digestion – a series of processes that breaks down biodegradable materials – rather than animal feed. As a result, it dropped its food waste reduction figures significantly – reducing it from 45% between 2016-2017 and 2022-2023 to just 18%.
Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s has listed “respect for our environment” as a core principle. It also secured a place on the CDP’s “A-List” on its 2023 Climate Change questionnaire. Further data from the company reported that it had used 100% renewable energy since January 2022 and had reduced greenhouse gas emissions within operations since 2018-2019.
Lack of recycling could become a legal problem
While Tesco & Sainsbury’s appear to have favourable statistics for their sustainability practices, their latest recycling issues could become a legal issue if not resolved quickly.
The Simpler Recycling legislation is set to become law from 31 March 2025 as part of the UK government’s Resources and Waste Strategy.
This means that all businesses across England will have to comply with stricter recycling practices. For example, separating dry recyclables and food waste from general waste for collection and cleaning recyclable materials before disposing of them.
While an amount hasn’t been confirmed yet, businesses are likely to be penalised financially if they don’t adhere to these regulations. This means that Tesco, Sainsbury’s and other supermarkets alike could see hefty fines if unfavourable recycling practices continue.
