The UK’s leading daily newspaper has singled out Marks & Spencer for the level of packaging in its stores - in direct contradiction to its stated green beliefs.
The Sun, which claims more than three million readers each day, said M&S was “one of the worst offenders in a simple Sun experiment to highlight the mounds of wasteful packaging supermarkets sell their groceries in”. The tabloid’s article started “It’s not just packaging, it’s M&S packaging - and there’s lots of it.”
Researchers bought £50 of basic, own-brand shopping in nine big stores - choosing the same items each time. “In every instance, unwrapping it conjured up a pile of packaging which dwarfed the original goods,” the article said.
“Some of the worst examples of excessive wrapping can be seen in the fruit and veg section, where items are in polystyrene punnets, shrink wrap and bulky plastic cartons.”
While Morrisons and Iceland topped the list when packaging was weighed, M&S would have beaten their weight if toothpaste had been available, said The Sun.
“All the major supermarkets are racing to out-do each other when it comes to establishing their green credentials. But the impressive-sounding eco-friendly pledges will amount to little if they do not cut down on the unnecessary rubbish they force on customers.”
