Under Wraps? Hvad europæiske supermarkeder ikke fortæller om plastik

The report finds that European supermarkets generally perform poorly in addressing the plastic crisis, with an average score of 13.1% across transparency, commitments, and policy support. While some UK and Irish retailers score higher, most companies lack basic data on their plastic footprints and prioritize recyclability over waste prevention. The analysis highlights a tendency toward 'greenwashing,' where retailers promote voluntary pledges or flawed collection schemes instead of systemic changes or supporting binding legislation.

• European supermarkets demonstrate a very low overall performance in addressing plastic pollution, achieving an average score of only 13.1% out of 100 across the categories of transparency and performance, commitments, and support for government policy.
• Transparency regarding plastic footprints is critically low, with 82% of evaluated companies failing to provide basic information on their plastic footprints, which undermines the validity of any quantitative commitments they may have.
• Retailers prioritize recyclability over the waste hierarchy's higher priorities of prevention and reuse. No company scored above 40% for packaging reusability, with an average score of 5.1%.
• Support for government policy is minimal, with an average score of 12.7%. Only five retailers (Aldi Ireland, Aldi Denmark, Aldi UK, Lidl UK, and BioCoop France) strongly support a comprehensive deposit return system (DRS) for all beverage packaging.
• The report identifies 'greenwashing' practices, noting that some UK supermarkets established flexible plastic collection schemes that resulted in waste being exported to third countries like Turkey, where it was illegally dumped and burned.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2022). Under Wraps? Hvad europæiske supermarkeder ikke fortæller om plastik. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Underwraps-Danish-ExecSum.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. Under Wraps? Hvad europæiske supermarkeder ikke fortæller om plastik. 2022. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Underwraps-Danish-ExecSum.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=Under Wraps? Hvad europæiske supermarkeder ikke fortæller om plastik |date=May 2022 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Underwraps-Danish-ExecSum.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundation2022under, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{Under Wraps? Hvad europæiske supermarkeder ikke fortæller om plastik}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2022}, month = may, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Underwraps-Danish-ExecSum.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }