Accros à l’emballage ? Ce que la grande distribution européenne ne nous dit pas sur le plastique

The report reveals a significant gap between the public communications of European retailers and their actual performance in reducing plastic pollution, with a global average score of only 13.1% across transparency, commitments, and policy support. While some retailers like Aldi in the UK and Ireland score higher, the majority fail to provide basic data on their plastic footprints or support mandatory reuse targets. The analysis highlights a systemic preference for voluntary commitments and recyclability over waste prevention and reuse, while warning against 'greenwashing' practices such as exporting flexible plastics to third countries like Turkey where they may be illegally burned.

• European large-scale retailers performed poorly across three evaluated categories, achieving an overall average score of 13.1 out of 100. Only two companies exceeded 60%: Aldi in the United Kingdom (65.3%) and Aldi in Ireland (61%).
• Transparency and performance regarding plastic footprints are very low, with an average score of 7.1%. Approximately 82% of the evaluated companies do not provide basic information on their plastic footprint, making their quantitative commitments difficult to verify.
• Retailers show very low ambition for packaging reuse and refill systems, with an average score of 3.3% for commitments in this area. BioCoop in France was the only retailer to provide detailed data, reporting that 34% of its products are sold in bulk, refillable, or reusable packaging.
• Support for mandatory government policies is minimal, with an average score of 12.7%. Only Alnatura in Germany expressed support for binding government targets for reusable and refillable packaging.
• There is significant inconsistency in how international retail groups apply plastic policies across different countries. For example, Aldi Süd scored over 60% in the UK and Ireland but only 11% in Austria (operating as Hofer).
• The report identifies 'greenwashing' practices, specifically regarding flexible plastics. In the UK, Tesco and Sainsbury's implemented in-store collection bins for flexible plastics, but the waste was exported to third countries like Turkey, where it was reportedly abandoned and burned illegally.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2022). Accros à l’emballage ? Ce que la grande distribution européenne ne nous dit pas sur le plastique. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Underwraps-French-ExecSum.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. Accros à l’emballage ? Ce que la grande distribution européenne ne nous dit pas sur le plastique. 2022. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Underwraps-French-ExecSum.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=Accros à l’emballage ? Ce que la grande distribution européenne ne nous dit pas sur le plastique |date=May 2022 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Underwraps-French-ExecSum.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundation2022accros, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{Accros à l’emballage ? Ce que la grande distribution européenne ne nous dit pas sur le plastique}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2022}, month = may, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Underwraps-French-ExecSum.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }