Wrapping paper to lose plastic packaging at Waitrose in supermarket first for Christmas

Every year, enironmental campaigners shake their heads at the festival of waste that comes every year at Christmas, from plastic toys to the wrapping all the different festive treats come in.

However, this year, Waitrose is taking steps to make sure that at least the wrapping paper families use will be plastic-free.

In a first for UK supermarkets, the retailer will sell rolls of Christmas gift wrap unpackaged this year, eliminating the use of single use plastic that can’t be recycled.

Usually, the shrink-wrap which surrounds the wrapping paper cannot be recycled as it is a poor-quality material, meaning it is destined for landfill.

Instead of using plastic shrink wrap to protect the paper, each roll of Waitrose wrapping paper will use a little extra paper to prevent the wrap from being damaged and labels to stop it unravelling.

The gift wrap, which is produced in the UK,  is made from sustainable FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper and printed using water-based inks.

If successful, the retailer will look to roll the design out more widely next Christmas. All Waitrose Christmas wrap will be fully recyclable this year

Waitrose also announced last week that it is permanently removing the shrinkwrap from its entire range of multi buy canned food, saving 45 tonnes of plastic a year.

British people have looked to have a 'greener Christmas' in recent years, with demand for replantable Christmas trees soaring last year and Christmas cards falling out of fashion.

This extends to wrapping paper; brown and kraft paper returned to favour last year with sales of plain wrap at Waitrose soaring by 600 per cent.

Nikki Grainge, Packaging Development Manager, Waitrose & Partners, said:  “We know customers will be looking to make Christmas just as special this year, but removing unnecessary plastic means they can enjoy gifting without worrying about the environment and rubbish that can’t be recycled after the festivities.

We’re constantly working to reduce single-use plastic and we’re on a roll with the removal of shrink wrap on gift wrap and many other products including tinned food and tissues. We’re constantly moving closer to phasing out non-recyclable plastic by the end of 2021.“

John Lewis & Partners is also launching a new plastic-free option in October, when sets of three reusable fabric gift bags go on sale. The prints of the bags have been designed by leading fashion designers, including Preen by Thornton Bregazzi and Giles Deacon and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the British Fashion Council Foundation Fashion Fund.