Department store Selfridges is removing all single-use plastic bottles containing carbonated drinks from its stores after stopping sales of disposable plastic water bottles.
The retailer has not sold single-use water bottles for almost two years and said it wanted to further encourage customers to end their use of throwaway plastic and switch to alternatives such as aluminium cans and glass.
It hopes the move, which takes effect this week and will stop the sale of the equivalent of six tonnes of plastic, will encourage other companies to remove the bottles from their offices and retail outlets.
“We still have a long way to go but we can encourage environmentally conscious behaviour from individuals, to manufacturers, and retailers.
“At Selfridges we want to continue to support that change and give our customers the choice to buy better.”
Greenpeace UK’s executive director John Sauven said: “Selfridges has been highlighting marine conservation issues for nearly a decade.
“It is continuing to confront the crisis in our oceans by dealing with the problem of plastics at its source – banning the single-use plastic drinks bottles produced by carbonated soft drinks companies.
“Hopefully, Selfridges’s bold move will make soft drink giants have a rethink about their reliance on single-use plastic bottles.”
The Zoological Society of London’s (ZSL) head of marine and freshwater conservation, Heather Koldewey, said: “With the River Thames running through its heart, London is a coastal city and we are connected to the rest of the world through the ocean.
“As a vibrant and innovative capital, we have an amazing opportunity to be global leaders in the fight against plastic pollution, starting by removing the millions of single-use plastic bottles that litter our city and devastate the ocean.
“We hope many other retailers will follow Selfridges’s lead.”
