Waitrose and John Lewis ban plastic toys in Christmas crackers
21 October 2019, 13:29 | Updated: 21 October 2019, 13:31
John Lewis and Waitrose have hit the headlines after banning plastic toys in their Christmas crackers.
Your Christmas cracker could look a little different next year as some major retailers have vowed to ban plastic toys.
The likes of Waitrose and John Lewis are joining the campaign against single-use plastic by removing it from their crackers by Christmas 2020.
Usual fillers include plastic jewellery, mini-combs, yo-yos and dice, but these will be replaced with toys made from recyclable materials such as metal and paper.
Plastic glitter will also no longer be a feature of the classic festive accessories, instead they will be decorated with stencilling or embossing.
Dan Cooper, head Christmas buyer at John Lewis said: “Reducing single use plastic in products and packaging is really important to us and our customers.
“One of the challenges I face as a buyer is that we plan 18 months ahead, so it takes time for changes to become a reality.
"I’m always searching for new, more sustainable products which will make Christmas sparkle, but won’t end up spoiling our environment.”
Read More: How much plastic is in the ocean and when did the plastic straw ban come into place?
The department store claims to have already reduced glitter by two thirds on its Christmas wrapping paper, advent calendars and gift bags and has removed the majority of plastic wrapping from the individual cards it sells.
Glitter is usually made from a form of microplastic which can end up in the oceans, creating potential harm to sea creatures.
This comes after Tesco announced it is also switching to degradable plastic-free glitter on its festive range and has removed all glitter from own brand wrapping paper, tags and single Christmas cards.
The supermarket vowed back in August it would stop selling any brands that use excessive packaging from its stores.
Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s recently became the first major UK retailer to replace plastic flower bags with paper packaging.
