The Co-operative Group is switching its entire pre-packed produce range to degradable bags, it has announced.
The packaging will be used across all of the retailers pre-packed fruit, vegetable and salad products.
The bags are just as strong as conventional products, but fully degrade to carbon dioxide, water and a small amount of inorganic material after four years.
At the moment, the Co-op used around 42.5 million pre-pack produce bags a year, and said the move to degradable packaging would help reduce landfill waste.
This latest initiative follows the retailers Shopping with Attitude survey, in which six out of 10 people said retailers should use only degradable or bio-degradable materials for packaging.
Spokeswoman Christine Clark said: “We are proud of our ‘firsts’ with degradable packaging, and in our Shopping with Attitude report we committed to introducing more environmentally-sound packaging across our range.
“Switching our entire pre-packed produce range packaging shows our continued commitment to responsible retailing, as well as ensuring that we give our customers what they want.”
