Greggs Updates Sustainability Goals on Packaging and Food Waste

Greggs drops weight reduction target for packaging

Greggs has walked away from its original commitment to cut packaging weight by 25% before the end of 2025. Instead, the bakery chain now prioritises making sure every wrapper, box and lid can go straight into standard household recycling bins. The company achieved a 20.9% weight reduction since 2019 but concluded that chasing the final few percentage points conflicted with a more practical goal: ensuring packaging actually gets recycled rather than sent to landfill.

This marks a notable shift in corporate sustainability strategy. Rather than pursuing a metric that sounds impressive in an annual report, Greggs has chosen to focus on whether its packaging works within the infrastructure that already exists across UK local authorities. The change reflects a growing recognition that lightweight materials do not always deliver environmental benefits if they cannot be processed by existing recycling facilities.

Greggs launched The Greggs Pledge in 2021 with ten environmental commitments. One core element was increasing packaging recyclability by 2025. The company has now made that objective the central pillar of its packaging strategy, explicitly accepting that some recyclable materials weigh more than the alternatives they replace.

Current packaging meets household recycling standards

As of early 2025, 98.3% of Greggs own-brand packaging can be placed in typical domestic recycling bins. The company expects to reach 100% compliance with the On-Pack Recycling Label scheme by the end of this year. OPRL standards determine whether packaging qualifies as easily recyclable based on acceptance by UK local authority collection systems.

All own-brand packaging now meets recyclability criteria except for hot drink cups. These remain an acknowledged problem without a straightforward solution. Meanwhile, the company has made specific material changes to eliminate other recycling barriers.

Salad boxes now use peelable film lids instead of rigid plastic, cutting packaging weight by 90% while improving recyclability. Made-to-order wraps switched to board-based materials, reducing weight by 10%. Baguette and oval bites packaging was redesigned to limit plastic window ratios to 10% by weight, satisfying OPRL requirements.

Two product lines still use non-recyclable packaging: four-pack sausage roll bags with film fronts and gingerbread bags. Greggs is running trials to replace both formats and expects to complete the transition by the end of 2025.

Coffee cups remain outside easy recyclability criteria

Disposable coffee cups continue to present a challenge that Greggs has not yet resolved. The cups fall outside OPRL standards for easy recyclability despite incremental improvements. Heat-resistant lids made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate now contain 30% recycled content, but the cup itself remains problematic.

Greggs offers a 25p discount to customers who bring reusable cups. However, uptake has not been sufficient to materially reduce disposable cup volume. The cup recycling issue persists across the foodservice sector, with technical barriers including polyethylene linings that complicate paper recycling processes.

Specialist recycling facilities can process coffee cups, but these remain separate from standard kerbside collection systems. Consequently, most disposable cups still end up in general waste. For Greggs, this represents the most visible gap in its recyclability commitments.

Weight reduction conflicts with recycling infrastructure compatibility

The decision to abandon the 25% weight target stems from a direct trade-off between lightweighting and recyclability. Greggs found that materials compatible with municipal recycling systems sometimes weigh more than lighter alternatives that local authorities cannot process.

This reflects a broader tension in packaging sustainability. Reducing material weight cuts transport emissions and raw material consumption. However, lightweight packaging often involves multi-layer films or composite materials that UK recycling infrastructure cannot separate effectively. Consequently, pursuing extreme weight reduction can render packaging technically non-recyclable within existing systems.

For example, switching from lightweight plastic film to board-based wrapping adds weight but ensures compatibility with widely available paper and cardboard recycling streams. Similarly, peelable film lids on salad boxes allow consumers to separate materials before disposal, increasing the likelihood that each component enters the correct recycling pathway.

Greggs concluded that packaging which enters a recycling stream delivers better environmental outcomes than lighter packaging destined for incineration or landfill. This calculation prioritises real-world recycling behaviour and infrastructure over theoretical recyclability claims.

Food waste falls 40% as surplus redistribution increases

Beyond packaging, Greggs reported a 40% reduction in food waste compared to its 2018 baseline. The company now redistributes 45% of unsold food to charitable organisations. This addresses both waste reduction and social value creation, turning surplus stock into meals for people who need them.

Manufacturing sites keep food waste below 0.2%, a target Greggs intends to maintain through 2030. Retail operations face different waste dynamics because customer demand fluctuates daily. Nevertheless, partnerships with food redistribution networks have increased the proportion of unsold products diverted from waste streams.

Emissions intensity has fallen by 56% since 2019, supported by a shift toward renewable energy sources. Currently, 97% of electricity, 47% of gas and 28% of vehicle fuel come from renewable sources. These figures demonstrate progress beyond packaging, addressing operational emissions across the supply chain and estate.

Eco-Shops expand across 34% of retail estate

Greggs has rolled out Eco-Shop standards to 34% of its locations. These outlets incorporate energy-efficient equipment, LED lighting and improved insulation. The format reduces energy consumption per site, contributing to overall emissions reductions while controlling operating costs.

The company plans to continue expanding Eco-Shop features across its estate through 2030. This involves retrofitting existing shops during refurbishment cycles and building new outlets to updated environmental specifications. However, the pace of rollout depends on lease terms, capital availability and site-specific constraints.

Energy efficiency improvements deliver financial as well as environmental benefits. Lower electricity and gas consumption reduces utility bills, creating a commercial incentive that aligns with sustainability objectives. For businesses operating on retail margins, these savings can be significant over a site’s lifetime.

Health metrics partnership targets food sales methodology

For the 2026 to 2030 period, Greggs has partnered with Nesta to develop a methodology for measuring the healthiness of food sales. The company aims to establish formal targets by the end of 2030 based on this framework. This represents an expansion of sustainability commitments into public health considerations.

Measuring healthiness presents methodological challenges. Unlike carbon emissions or packaging weight, food healthiness involves subjective judgments about nutritional balance, portion sizes and consumption patterns. Nesta’s involvement suggests Greggs seeks external validation for any metrics it eventually adopts.

The commitment reflects growing pressure on food retailers to address diet-related health outcomes. Public health campaigners increasingly argue that businesses share responsibility for obesity and related conditions. By proactively developing health metrics, Greggs positions itself ahead of potential regulatory requirements.

What this means for UK food retailers

• Greggs achieved 98.3% domestic recyclability for own-brand packaging as of early 2025, with 100% compliance with OPRL standards expected by year-end.
• The company abandoned its 25% packaging weight reduction target after reaching 20.9%, prioritising recyclability over lightweighting.
• Hot drink cups remain the only major packaging category outside easy recyclability criteria, with no immediate solution identified.
• Food waste dropped 40% against the 2018 baseline, with 45% of unsold food now redistributed to charitable causes.
• Emissions intensity fell 56% since 2019, supported by renewable energy sources covering 97% of electricity, 47% of gas and 28% of vehicle fuel.
• Eco-Shop standards now apply to 34% of the retail estate, delivering energy efficiency improvements alongside environmental benefits.
• A partnership with Nesta will develop healthiness metrics for food sales, with targets to be established by the end of 2030.

Recyclability versus weight reduction requires strategic choices

The Greggs case illustrates a practical challenge facing any business trying to improve packaging sustainability. You cannot always reduce weight and improve recyclability simultaneously. Materials that work well in existing recycling infrastructure often weigh more than alternatives that local authorities cannot process.

This creates a strategic choice. Businesses can pursue aggressive lightweighting and risk producing packaging that ends up in landfill despite being theoretically recyclable. Alternatively, they can accept slightly heavier materials that definitely enter recycling streams through standard kerbside collections.

Greggs chose the latter approach. For retailers supplying products through franchises, company-owned stores and third-party channels, ensuring packaging works everywhere matters more than optimising weight. A wrapper that gets recycled in 95% of UK local authority areas delivers better outcomes than a lighter wrapper accepted by only 30%.

Furthermore, the shift acknowledges that consumers interact with packaging through household recycling bins. If packaging looks recyclable but gets rejected by sorting facilities, it undermines public confidence in recycling systems. Conversely, packaging that consistently goes into the correct stream reinforces recycling behaviour.

We support businesses navigating these trade-offs through our sustainable procurement services, helping to identify materials that balance environmental performance with operational requirements.

Coffee cups highlight infrastructure limitations

The persistent coffee cup problem reveals infrastructure constraints that individual businesses cannot solve alone. Despite industry efforts, most UK local authorities still cannot process polyethylene-lined paper cups through standard recycling systems. Specialist facilities exist but require separate collection arrangements.

For a high-street retailer like Greggs, relying on customers to locate specialist recycling points creates practical barriers. Most consumers dispose of cups in the nearest available bin, which typically feeds general waste streams. Reusable cup discount schemes help at the margins but have not achieved the adoption rates needed to eliminate disposable cups.

This situation demonstrates why some packaging challenges require sector-wide solutions or regulatory intervention. Extended producer responsibility schemes and deposit return systems can create the financial incentives and collection infrastructure that individual businesses cannot establish independently. Until such systems exist, coffee cups will remain outside easy recyclability criteria.

Health metrics extend sustainability scope

The commitment to develop healthiness metrics signals an evolving definition of corporate sustainability. Environmental performance and social impact increasingly overlap with public health considerations. For food retailers, this means looking beyond carbon footprints and packaging to consider nutritional outcomes.

However, measuring healthiness presents methodological difficulties. Unlike emissions, which have established calculation standards, food health metrics involve contested definitions. Should measurements focus on calorie density, saturated fat content, sugar levels or portion sizes? How should occasional treat purchases be weighted against regular meal choices?

These questions have commercial as well as environmental implications. Metrics that penalise high-margin bakery items could affect profitability. Conversely, metrics that ignore nutritional content risk appearing superficial. The involvement of Nesta suggests Greggs recognises the need for credible external validation.

For businesses developing sustainability strategies, the Greggs example shows how commitments increasingly extend beyond traditional environmental metrics. Supply chain transparency, health impacts and social value creation now feature alongside carbon reduction and waste management. Our ESG compliance support helps businesses understand these expanding requirements.

Regulatory context shapes packaging decisions

The focus on OPRL compliance reflects the regulatory environment shaping UK packaging decisions. The On-Pack Recycling Label scheme provides standardised criteria for recyclability claims, reducing greenwashing risks. Businesses that meet OPRL standards can demonstrate genuine recyclability rather than making unsubstantiated environmental claims.

Extended producer responsibility regulations, introduced under the Environment Act 2021, will require businesses to cover the full cost of managing their packaging waste. This creates financial incentives to reduce packaging volume and improve recyclability. Materials that local authorities can easily process will cost less under producer responsibility fees than complex composites requiring specialist handling.

Additionally, the government’s packaging waste regulations establish recycled content mandates for certain materials. Businesses must demonstrate minimum recycled content percentages in plastic packaging, driving demand for recyclate. This influences material selection decisions alongside recyclability considerations.

For SMEs supplying larger retailers, understanding these regulatory drivers matters. Procurement specifications increasingly require suppliers to meet specific packaging standards. Businesses that cannot demonstrate OPRL compliance or provide recycled content data risk losing contracts. We help businesses navigate these requirements through our carbon reporting and compliance services.

Where to find additional guidance

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs publishes detailed guidance on extended producer responsibility requirements and packaging waste obligations. This includes threshold calculations, reporting templates and fee structures.

The On-Pack Recycling Label scheme provides the standards Greggs references for recyclability compliance. OPRL guidance explains which materials qualify as easily recyclable based on local authority collection coverage across the UK.

For businesses reviewing their own packaging strategies, WRAP offers resources on sustainable packaging design, including material selection tools and case studies. The organisation works with businesses and local authorities to improve recycling systems and reduce packaging waste.

Finally, the British Retail Consortium tracks sustainability commitments across the retail sector, providing benchmarking data and industry best practice examples. This helps businesses understand where their performance sits relative to sector standards.