From:Packaging News

A marine conservation charity will urge large supermarket chains to sell more food in biodegradable packaging.

Plastic Oceans Foundation said the campaign, ‘A Plastic Free Aisle’, will ask supermarkets to make one aisle in each store plastic-free to reduce the amount of packaging that ends up in the sea.

Sian Sutherland, a trustee at the foundation, is due to talk with the UK’s major supermarkets

She told Sky News: “We want to buy food that is not wrapped or contaminated with plastic. We are asking supermarkets to be part of the process. The situation with plastics is very very urgent and we have to do something now.”

The British Plastics Federation (BPF) has however criticised the move.

Barry Turner, BPF’s director of plastics and flexible packaging group, told Packaging News this campaign deflected from the important uses plastic packaging provides, and that plastic packaging has ‘unrivalled’ features that significantly increase the hygiene of food, is subject to strict regulations and completely safe.

“Plastics are produced using less energy than other materials, are lightweight so reduce transport costs and CO2 emissions, and extend the life of food dramatically. Avoiding plastic packaging will cause far more harm to the environment due to the extra resources required for alternative packaging and the rise in food waste associated with fresh produce.”