Tesco tightens packaging rules to accelerate recyclable own-brand packaging

Tesco has tightened the packaging rules it applies to suppliers as the supermarket chain steps up its long-running effort to make own-brand packaging easier to recycle across the UK.

The retailer’s updated 2026 Preferred Materials List gives clearer direction on which formats should be used, which should be limited and which are being phased out. The shift is intended to steer suppliers towards materials that already fit existing UK collection and reprocessing systems, while ...

At the centre of the revised policy is a stronger preference for widely recyclable materials such as fibre, glass, aluminium and plastics that are commonly collected at the kerbside. Tesco is also pushing harder for simpler packaging designs, especially single-material formats that are less difficult to separate and recycle.

The move comes as UK producers face a tougher regulatory environment. Government guidance for the Recyclability Assessment Methodology, or RAM, took effect on 1 January 2025 and requires large producers to assess and report how recyclable packaging is when supplied to households or public bins. The system uses red, amber and green ratings, which feed into disposal costs under the extended producer responsibility framework.

Tesco’s own changes appear designed to align with that direction of travel. The company says it wants customers to find recycling easier and less confusing by favouring materials that can be handled through current local systems. It also wants to reduce dependence on composite packaging, where mixed layers or hard-to-separate components can make recovery more difficult.

For suppliers, the updated list raises the bar further. Packaging choices are now expected to reflect recyclability from the earliest stages of design, rather than being adjusted later in development. Tesco is encouraging more collaboration with its supply base to redesign packs where needed, while still protecting product safety and quality.

The retailer says its wider packaging strategy remains focused on cutting unnecessary material, reducing overall use, increasing reuse where possible and improving recyclability across the range. In its longer-term policy, Tesco says it aims for all own-brand packaging to be recyclable or reusable over time.

The latest guidance suggests the company is moving from broad sustainability commitments to more detailed, material-by-material requirements across its supply chain, with fewer non-recyclable formats expected in everyday grocery packaging.

Source: Noah Wire Services