Iceland is to unveil a dedicated plastic-free Christmas range for the golden quarter as it seeks to drive forward the retail industry’s sustainability agenda.

Iceland managing director Richard Walker told Retail Week that he had tasked his buying teams with creating a full set of Christmas menu options, comprised of about 30 products, without plastic packaging.

He wanted the plastic-free range for the crucial trading period not to be a “token effort” but to highlight that environmental responsibility was at the heart of Iceland’s operations and should be a top priority in business and society more widely.

He said: “We’ve taken some big strides in the standard ranges, but for bespoke seasonal ranges it was more difficult to land. We’ve developed around 30 plastic free products across starters, mains and desserts. I didn’t want it to just be a few things, I wanted it to be a proper range.”

Walker had hoped that the plastic-free Christmas lines could be displayed together in-store but that is not possible because of factors such as the different refrigeration points required, so the range will be spread throughout stores but specially signposted.

The Iceland boss also said the grocer would be extending its plastic bag-free trial to more branches after a successful pilot in its Hackney, east London, branch.

He said the initiative was part of Iceland’s ongoing work to “democratise sustainability and environmental issues” for its customers. 

Iceland has said its bag trials will “collectively save over 210,000 plastic carrier bags from being newly purchased”.

The grocer was the first in the UK to commit to eliminate plastic packaging on ion-label products by the end of 2023.