塑膠包裝對我們食品和飲料購物的束縛

根據新的分析，超過一半的超市食品和飲料是用不必要的塑膠包裝的，該分析強調每年生產多達 298 億件不必要的塑膠。

New analysis has revealed that over half of supermarket food and drink is packaged in unnecessary plastic, amounting to an estimated 29.8 billion superfluous pieces of plastic being produced annually.

新的分析顯示，超過一半的超市食品和飲料採用不必要的塑膠包裝，估計每年生產 298 億件多餘塑膠。

The research, conducted by Retail Economics on behalf of FTSE100 sustainable packaging company DS Smith, also found that a quarter of food and drink companies are falling behind on their individual packaging goals, the majority of which are set for 2026, leaving just two years to act.

這項由Retail Economics 代表富時100 強可持續包裝公司DS Smith 進行的研究還發現，四分之一的食品和飲料公司未能實現其各自的包裝目標，其中大部分目標定於2026 年，距離實現這一目標僅剩兩年時間。

The first-of-its-kind analysis examined the packaging materials of 1,500 supermarket groceries to assess the extent to which plastic packaging dominates food and drink shopping.

這項史無前例的分析檢視了 1,500 家超市雜貨的包裝材料，以評估塑膠包裝在食品和飲料購物中的主導程度。

The Material Change Index identified that more than half (51%) of food and drink items available in UK supermarkets are unnecessarily packaged in plastic that can be safely replaced with alternatives.

材料變化指數發現，英國超市中超過一半 (51%) 的食品和飲料不必要地採用塑膠包裝，而這些塑膠包裝可以安全地用替代品替代。

The research showed that the majority of that plastic packaging came from processed foods, including ready-meals and meal kits (90% of which are packaged in plastic), bread, rice and cereals (89%), dairy products (83%), and meat and fish (80%).

研究表明，大部分塑膠包裝來自加工食品，包括即食食品和餐盒（其中 90% 採用塑膠包裝）、麵包、米和穀類食品 (89%)、乳製品 (83%)、以及肉類和魚類（80 %）。

The findings come ahead of the government’s Circular Economy Strategy, which is expected to set out plans to reduce single-use plastics and increase the use of recycled content in packaging.

該調查結果是在政府的循環經濟戰略之前發布的，預計該戰略將制定減少一次性塑膠並增加包裝中回收材料的使用的計劃。

Miles Roberts, Group Chief Executive of DS Smith, said: “The Material Change Index shows that while good progress has been made, there is evidently a great deal more to do. We think government can and should be more demanding of us all - phasing out certain plastics to help create a level playing field that encourages innovation, investment, and generates healthy competition to replace plastic.

DS Smith 集團執行長 Miles Roberts 表示：「實質變化指數表明，雖然取得了良好進展，但顯然還有很多工作要做。我們認為政府可以而且應該對我們所有人提出更高的要求——逐步淘汰某些塑料，以幫助創造一個公平的競爭環境，鼓勵創新、投資，並產生健康的競爭來取代塑料。

“Working with some of the biggest brands in the world we estimate that we have been able to replace more than 1 billion pieces of plastic over the last four years, but it is the tip of the iceberg and we must do more.

「透過與世界上一些最大的品牌合作，我們估計在過去四年中我們已經能夠更換超過 10 億件塑料，但這只是冰山一角，我們必須做得更多。

“The opportunity to meet consumer demand for more sustainable packaging is significant and we hope the government’s forthcoming Circular Economy Strategy will find ways to support the use of materials that are more readily recyclable.”

“滿足消費者對更可持續包裝的需求的機會非常重大，我們希望政府即將推出的循環經濟戰略能夠找到支持使用更容易回收的材料的方法。”

A survey of European food manufacturers and retailers, carried out as part of the research, found that almost all (98%) respondents have commitments to reduce plastic packaging.

作為研究的一部分，對歐洲食品製造商和零售商進行的一項調查發現，幾乎所有（98%）受訪者都承諾減少塑膠包裝。

Three in five (60%) have two years or less left to reach their voluntary targets, but a quarter (25%) say they are off track to reach them. Two in five (40%) identified the cost of raw material as the biggest obstacle, closely followed by the fear that consumers would not accept changes (39%).

五分之三 (60%) 的人還有兩年或更短的時間來實現自願目標，但四分之一 (25%) 表示他們距離實現這些目標還差得很遠。五分之二 (40%) 認為原料成本是最大的障礙，緊隨其後的是擔心消費者不接受改變 (39%)。

European food manufacturers and retailers also expressed concerns that shifts in packaging would make them uncompetitive. Seven in ten (72%) believe that shoppers would not want to pay extra for sustainable packaging and nearly two thirds (65%) think they wouldn’t want to sacrifice convenience for sustainability.

歐洲食品製造商和零售商也擔心包裝的轉變將使其失去競爭力。十分之七 (72%) 認為購物者不想為永續包裝支付額外費用，近三分之二 (65%) 認為他們不想為了永續發展而犧牲便利性。

The Material Change Index analysed packaging materials in 25 of the most popular supermarkets across six European markets: UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland. The findings showed that the UK is the most reliant on plastic packaging, with 70% of all food and drink items on British shelves containing plastic3 compared to Spain (67%), Italy (66%), Germany (66%), Poland (62%) and France (59%).

材料變化指數分析了英國、法國、德國、義大利、西班牙和波蘭這六個歐洲市場中 25 家最受歡迎的超市的包裝材料。調查結果顯示，英國對塑膠包裝的依賴程度最高，英國貨架上 70% 的食品和飲料含有塑膠3，而西班牙 (67%)、義大利 (66%)、德國 (66%)、波蘭 (66%) 62%）和法國（59%）。

DS Smith estimates that 84% of unnecessary plastic in the UK can be replaced or significantly reduced by fibre-based alternatives right now, and the company is continuing to invest in finding new solutions. This includes funding a global Research & Development and Innovation Centre, that is designed to accelerate radical innovation in packaging and running pilot programmes with some of the largest FMCG businesses.

DS Smith 估計，英國 84% 不必要的塑膠現在可以被纖維替代品取代或顯著減少，該公司正在繼續投資尋找新的解決方案。這包括資助一個全球研發和創新中心，該中心旨在加速包裝方面的徹底創新，並與一些最大的快速消費品企業一起運行試點計畫。