To ensure the strategy is clearly and effectively communicated to consumers, Tesco uses its ‘4Rs’ to ‘remove where we can, reduce where we can’t, reuse more and recycle what’s left.’

As a giant supermarket chain with over 3,000 stores in the UK, Tesco’s sustainability efforts have the potential to make a huge impact in terms of plastic waste reduction.

The video begins ‘Britain loves cucumbers’ and ‘Tesco sells 88 million cucumbers every year,’ highlighting the brand’s position as a national favourite food supplier and provider of household goods.

It then shows customers expressing their love for cucumbers but asking why they need to be covered in plastic. Matthew Simon, cucumber grower and head of technical at Ginwell then explains the growing process before Trewin Restorick, sustainability campaigner and CEO of Hubbub, explains the plastic wrapping extends cucumber life from 3 to 14 days.

The Q&A style campaign allows the brand to directly respond to consumer concerns and provide expert insight. The video explains that the plastic on cucumbers reduces food waste by extending product freshness. One clip shows a time-lapse of the uncovered cucumber rotting in just a matter of days. Restorick says, “So reducing food waste is good for the planet and also helps our budgets go further.”

Tesco maintains that is has to use plastic in cases like this, where the cucumber product requires the packaging to stay fresh for consumption. Therefore internal sustainability boss and Tesco quality director, Sarah Bradbury, says, “it’s really important to keep it out of the natural environment,” before announcing the company’s launch of soft plastic recycling centres in 171 stores across the UK.

It ends by appealing to customers directly “please bring to us everything from crisp bags to bread bags.” The video campaign launched across social media channels this and enhanced the brand reputation as an effective communicator that listens and responds to its end consumers.