Tesco accused of misleading figures on plastic bag reduction

Supermarkets, including Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Marks & Spencer, had all signed an agreement to cut the number of plastic bags used by 50 per cent in the three years to this May. They collectively just missed this target achieving a 48 per cent reduction, which was reported via the Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap).

That day Tesco put out a statement which said: "Our customers are now using more than 50 per cent fewer carrier bags than they did before."

However The Times reports that when questioned on this figure the supermarket admitted that its figure was calculated in a different way to the one it gave Wrap to issue,. It said that figures had been adjusted to account for growth in sales. The actual reduction, a senior Tesco source told the newspaper, was significantly less than 50 per cent.

Last week Tesco hit its target of diverting 100 per cent of its UK waste away from landfill a year ahead of schedule.