Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the use of single-use plastic packaging for fruit and vegetables in supermarkets.

This Government is committed to moving to a circular economy for plastics – a future where we keep our resources in use for longer, waste is reduced, we accelerate the path to net zero, we see investment in critical infrastructure and green jobs, our economy prospers, and nature thrives.

The Government’s funding of WRAP, who run the UK Plastics Pact (UKPP), has seen significant progression across industry. Members have increased the average recycled content in their packaging from 8.5% in 2018 to 24.1%. UKPP members cover the entire plastics value chain and are responsible for the majority of plastic packaging sold through UK supermarkets, and approximately two thirds of the total plastic packaging placed on the UK market. Since 2018, additional progress from members includes a 55% reduction by weight sold of the items listed as problematic and avoidable in 2018; 71% of their plastic packaging is now recyclable (up from 66% in 2018); and 55% of their plastic packaging is recycled (up from 44% in 2018).

The Government also supports innovation, having funded over 80 projects on innovative solutions to plastic packaging through the Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge (SSPP), managed by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

We will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and/or materials to take a systematic approach, in line with circular economy principles, to reduce the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products and encourage reuse solutions.