UK Retailers Waitrose and John Lewis are Removing Plastic Toys from Christmas Crackers

UK retailers John Lewis and Waitrose are cutting out plastic toys from Christmas crackers, starting next Christmas, 2020. This is part of larger plans to reduce single-use plastic across supply chains.

The company will also remove glitter from toys and will use recycled materials for the toys instead of plastic. Ahead of the 2020 season was a business decision because buying has an 18 month lead time.

Friends of the Earth spokesperson and plastics campaigner said of the change, “Getting rid of the plastic tat from Christmas crackers will go some way to cutting down on the Pollution of the festive season, but we’d like to challenge all supermarkets to give us the gift of a Christmas completely free of unnecessary plastic.”

To help reduce plastic, John Lewis offers a “fill your own” Christmas cracker for consumers. It also has reduced glitter across gift bags, wrapping paper, advent calendars and crackers. The company reported that removing plastic wrapping from the majority of plastic cards sold saved 8 tonnes of plastic this year.

In December 2018, Waitrose announced it would ban glitter, making it the first UK retailer to remove glitter from its own-label products. Glitter is a microplastic that can get into waterways and harm marine life.

Plastics have been a growing problem around the world. Recently, governments and companies are working to reduce single-use plastics in a variety of products and industries. To help contribute to a plastic-free Christmas, Friends of the Earth encourages consumers to use brown paper instead of wrapping paper made with plastic. Replace plastic decorations with natural alternatives like holly and mistletoe.

Read more about Dove’s new plastic commitment in One Green Planet. And read about the UK’s other environmental initiatives, including planting trees.

For more Animal, Earth, Life, Vegan Food, Health, and Recipe content published daily, subscribe to the One Green Planet Newsletter! Also, don’t forget to download the Food Monster App on iTunes — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest meatless, vegan and allergy-friendly recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy!

Lastly, being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!