Supermarket Plastic

Single use plastics are filling up our oceans. Yet too often we get no say over the plastic packaging on our groceries. Together we’re tackling supermarket plastics.

 

The Supermarket Plastics Campaign

Responding to a tidal wave of demand from ocean lovers to tackle supermarket plastics, the Australian Marine Conservation Society is partnering with the Boomerang Alliance to hold supermarkets to account for the plastic packaging on their shelves.

Our supermarket plastics team is working to investigate plastic use (and misuse) in Australia’s largest supermarkets. With your help, we can drive a significant reduction of plastic packaging in one of the largest retail sectors, directly reducing Australia’s plastic footprint.

Reducing supermarket plastics

We have created the first independent annual audit that ranks Australia’s major supermarkets on their plastic packaging practices.

A public scorecard tracks the progress of supermarkets against five key criteria to assess plastic use. supermarkets
All four major supermarkets failed (scored less than 50%) the 2023 and 2024 audits.

Read the audit here

Supermarkets are not required to tell the Australian public how much plastic packaging they are using.

That’s why we asked shoppers all over the country to help collect data while in their local supermarkets.

In 2024, shopper surveys found that in 73% of cases, loose fresh produce is more expensive than the same item wrapped in plastic.

We’re using this finding to call for better transparency in supermarket reporting, and for businesses to remove unnecessary plastic packaging. We couldn’t do this work without the help of each and every supporter who is collecting data in their supermarket.

We are advocating for the federal government to implement evidence-based policy solutions to stop plastic pollution at the source.

Our audit reports demonstrate the need for mandatory reduction and reuse targets, as industry cannot be trusted to reduce its plastic use voluntarily, and helps us push for stronger legislation for plastic packaging.

Why supermarkets?

Packaging makes up almost 60% of litter collected in Australia, and plastic continues to dominate as the main material type, making up 80% of all materials collected.(1)

In Australia, the supermarket sector represents a $135 Billion dollar industry (2) with colossal buying power. Supermarkets have no obligations to report their overall plastic packaging footprint to the public, therefore the fragmented reports of plastic reductions in annual sustainability reports do not show the whole picture.

From manufacturing and distribution through to sale, supermarkets have enormous power to reduce the plastics used in our everyday groceries and household goods. We need our supermarkets to urgently reduce plastic packaging and provide refillable alternatives, so that we can have a real shot at stemming the flow of plastic into our oceans.

 

References:

  1. Clean Up Australia. (2024). Rubbish Report 2024.
  2. Parliament of Australia (2024). Supermarket Prices: Final report.
  3. APCO (2023). Review of the 2025 National Packaging Targets

We will need your help!

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