Companies are under public pressure to stop using plastic. A market shift away from plastic for packaging in the grocery sector is happening surprisingly slowly with companies just starting to substitute single use plastic for other single use alternatives. But, overall, the amount of plastic packaging in use has not altered significantly. However, there are signs that this change could accelerate and, in this report, we explore the trends and potential consequences.

This report is based on interviews with representatives from five of the UK’s major supermarkets and five major consumer goods and beverage companies. The interviews were confidential and anonymised to allow respondents to be as candid as possible.