The world’s first plastic-free supermarket aisle has opened today in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, a move which has been welcomed by environmental campaigners.
The plastic-free supermarket aisle will open today at the Amsterdam branch of supermarket chain Ekoplaza, and will offer more than 700 products. The chain has also announced plans to expand the plastic-free aisle to all of its 74 branches across the Netherlands by the end of 2018.
The aisle will offer a broad range of plastic-free products, including fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy, sauces, rice and meat. The supermarket has assured customers that the products will not be more expensive than those in plastic packaging, and will use biodegradable packaging as an alternative, rather than removing packaging entirely.
What has Ekoplaza said about the plastic-free supermarket aisle?
Ekoplaza has partnered with the campaign A Plastic Planet to launch its plastic-free aisle. The supermarket chain’s chief executive, Erik Does, told the Guardian that the new plan had been launched in response to customer demand.
He said: “We know that our customers are sick to death of products laden in layer after layer of thick plastic packaging. Plastic-free aisles are a really innovative way of testing the compostable biomaterials that offer a more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic packaging.”
Does added that his work with the A Plastic Planet campaign and the resulting plastic-free supermarket aisle represented an important step towards “a brighter future for food and drink”.
Why are supermarkets targeting plastic?
The new plastic-free supermarket aisle is just one measure against plastic announced in recent weeks. The move comes the month after the EU announced a new plastics strategy, which aims to curb plastic waste by restricting microplastics in waste and to prevent plastic waste being deposited in the ocean.
A number of European countries have already responded with new legislation in supermarkets, including new measures in Italy and Greece to introduce charges for customers using biodegradable plastic bags rather than reusable ones.
It is good, because plastic does not rot, and stays with us forever until there will be enough to drown us all.