The newly released Material Change Index, commissioned by DS Smith and conducted by Retail Economics, finds that supermarkets in Europe are still overly reliant on “unnecessary” plastic packaging. The report analyzed 1,500 F&B items found in 25 of the most popular supermarket chains in six European countries, aiming to improve understanding of plastic usage in food retail across countries. According to the research, 70% of F&B products sold in UK supermarkets contain plastic, making it the most reliant on this type of packaging. Spain follows the UK with 67% of F&B items including plastic, 66% in Germany, 62% in Poland and 59% in France, where plastic packaging dependence is the lowest.
