John Lewis and Waitrose scrap plastic toys in Christmas crackers

21 October 2019, 11:44

John Lewis and Waitrose will only sell Christmas crackers that contain no plastic toys from next year.

The department store and supermarket chain said they will instead be filled with toys made from recyclable materials such as metal, and paper games.

They are also scrapping the use of plastic glitter in favour of more sustainable alternatives. The moves are part of the Partnership’s plans to cut down on single use plastic products.

John Lewis has introduced three designs of ‘fill your own’ crackers, which are proving to be their most popular range, accounting for one in every three packets of crackers sold.

In addition, John Lewis has already removed the plastic wrapping from vast majority of the individual cards it sells and estimates that this alone will save eight tonnes of plastic each year.

Dan Cooper, Partner and Head Christmas Buyer at John Lewis said; “Reducing the amount of 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.”

All of the real Christmas trees sold in John Lewis are grown in the UK and all of its tinsel is made in Wales.