UK retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) Food has revealed that it is trialling an alternative paper fibre tray for ready meals, beginning with its ‘Fiery Chicken Tikka Masala’ product.
Composed of renewable fibre, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified tray can also be easily recycled at home without the necessity of removing its thin plastic lining, the company said.
The newly designed tray is intended to be user-friendly, compatible with both microwave and oven cooking.
M&S is undertaking a limited trial of the paper fibre tray to gather consumer feedback on this material.
The initiative is being carried out in collaboration with 2SFG and GPI.
M&S achieved its goal of eliminating 75 million units of plastic by 2024-25 ahead of schedule, highlighting its dedication to sustainability.
The retailer has set out a target to remove one billion units of plastic by the conclusion of financial year 2027-28 as part of its ‘Plan A’ strategy aimed at reaching net zero by 2040.
By the end of March 2025, M&S said it had already succeeded in removing 500 million units towards this objective.
M&S Food technical director Andrew Clappen said: “Our Plan A roadmap is focused on how we can become a net-zero business across all our operations and entire supply chain by 2040 and we’re constantly looking for new ways to do things to try and take big steps along that journey.
“We know customers care about reducing the amount of plastic packaging and we’re determined to help them by finding new materials and processes to make sure our packaging is as easy to recycle as possible.
“Plan A is a key part of the incredible quality M&S is known and loved for and this trial is another example of why our customers can trust that we’re committed to doing the right thing and giving them the confidence that they can make more sustainable choices when shopping in our Foodhalls.”
