Customers picking up pasta in Tesco stores this week will notice a big change in how some of it is packaged. 

To reduce the amount of plastic packaging it uses, Tesco has moved its Finest range of dried pasta into paper packaging, saving more than 10 million pieces of plastic a year, weighing more than 30 tonnes.

In total, 10 lines have moved into the new packaging, which will also be available in Tesco Express stores. The new packs are 100% recyclable and can be put into household recycling bins. 

Claire Lorains, Tesco Group Sustainability and Quality Director, said: “Removing unnecessary plastic is an important way that Tesco can reduce its environmental impact. The new paper packaging works just as well as the old plastic but can be popped into your normal recycling bin with other paper. 

“We're proud of the work we’ve done so far to reduce the plastic we use at Tesco but will continue to look for ways to do more."

Tesco’s 4Rs packaging 4Rs (Remove, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) strategy, has been in place since 2019 and so far, more than 2.3 billion pieces of plastic have been removed from its UK business.

Innovations this year include:

• Becoming the first supermarket to scrap plastic packaging for its own brand pocket tissue multi-packs replacing it with recyclable paper and saving more than 55 million pieces of soft plastic
• Focusing on incorporating recycled materials, Tesco launched a new range of luxury soft toilet rolls and kitchen towels made from cardboard recycled from home delivery boxes, cardboard tubes from toilet rolls, and corrugated card waste. The innovative pulp production process uses less water, chemicals and energy compared to using traditional tree fiber as the raw material.