Holland and Barrett has announced plans to save 200 tonnes of plastic each year following a review of its own brand vitamin range.
The health and wellness retailer is reducing the weight of all its own brand vitamin bottles so they contain 20% less plastic, introducing new, smaller bottle sizes and only using plastic that contains a minimum of 80% recycled material. In addition, the plastic wrapping on caps will be removed and despite already using PET, the most widely recycled plastic globally, they are also reducing the colour levels in the bottles so the plastic can be reused in more ways when recycled.
The move is the latest in a series of eco-focused measures from retailer, which it has used to distinguish itself from its high street competitors. It was the first major UK retailer to ban plastic bags in stores in 2012. It has subsequently banned the use of microplastics in products, the sales of wet wipes and – most recently – the sale of single-use beauty sheet masks.
Geraldine Waterton, head of brand management at Holland & Barrett, said: “We know sustainability is a really important topic for our customers, and we are continually looking at ways we can reduce our impact on the environment. Our own brand vitamin range is one of the biggest on the high street and is made up of over 714 products. We are introducing our new packaging over the next 12 months and in doing so will be saving over 200 tonnes of plastic, while also making sure our bottles are easily recycled at home.”
The new packaging switchover begins this month (October 2021), starting with Holland & Barrett’s immunity and Vitamin D ranges.
