Retailers should ‘reject’ plastic, says former Asda boss

Former Asda chief executive Andy Clarke has said supermarkets should reject plastic in place of more sustainable packaging alternatives.

Clarke, who stepped down from Asda last year, said “billions of pounds of investment in recycling has failed to resolve the world’s plastic proliferation crisis”, the Guardian reported.

“It is vital that the UK packaging industry and supermarkets work together to turn off the tap,” he said.

Clarke backed the concept of a “plastic-free aisle” in supermarkets, and said retailers should showcase the wealth of plastic alternatives like “grass paper”.

In 2007, when Clarke was a director, Asda announced it would trial selling more produce in a loose format to reduce packaging.

But this year the retailer sparked criticism after appearing to go the other way and sell only pre-packed formats on some lines.