Woolworth has announced that it plans to be the\u00a0first retailer in South Africa to contribute\u00a0zero packaging waste.<\/p>\n
In a statement released on Tuesday (05 June), the retailer said it\u00a0aims to have none of its packaging end up in landfills, which will require the introduction of 100% recyclable materials and a supportive recycling infrastructure.<\/p>\n
This will include\u00a0the phasing out of unnecessary single-use plastics, and the\u00a0commitment for all its packaging to be either reusable or recyclable by 2022.<\/p>\n
Woolworths is committed to phasing out single-use plastic shopping bags completely by 2020, it said.<\/p>\n
“Today\u2019s announcement follows extensive customer research and engagement, both formally and through social media channels that shed light on both customer recycling habits and entrenched customer perceptions,” said\u00a0Zyda Rylands, Woolworths South Africa CEO.<\/p>\n
“We know that many of our customers fully support our zero packaging waste to landfill journey and they want to see it happen as fast as possible. But this is not a path that we can walk alone. To succeed, we need our customers, our suppliers and the South African recycling industry to work with us.”<\/p>\n
“Critical to the success of these ambitious goals is the continued commitment to partner with government and industry (recyclers, packaging convertors, producer responsibility organisations) to develop technically and commercially viable solutions to recycling different plastics.”<\/p>\n
Rylands said that several in-store trials are currently underway at selected Woolworths stores in order to engage customers on the new plastic reduction efforts, including:<\/p>\n