Are retailers heading towards a zero plastic strategy ?

The ecological pressures seem less critical than protection of very slim margins for many retailers, who are facing the fierce competition of well-funded rivals such as Amazon, Ocado, Alibaba, JD and Google. Businesses are preoccupied with survival, redesigning their entire processes throughout all facets of omnichannel shopping. However, investing in alternatives and plastic reduction is good for business. As the global population nearly tripled in 70 years (from 2.6 billion in 1950 to 7.6 billion in 2017), single-use disposable plastic has become so widespread that collection and potential recycling is completely unrealistic. Now present in every ocean and land, plastic waste infiltrates all food chains and passes into all living organisms. Single-use products (Plastic bottles, yoghurt pots, etc.) are at the heart of the debate, as they can be recycled only a small number of times (unlike glass,…