- 190 Coles investors are putting the company on notice ahead of its AGM over a lack of transparency about plastic use
- Woolworths breaks silence over plastic use after becoming the first of Australia's two largest supermarkets to publish its plastic intensity score
- Packaging makes up 60% of the litter polluting Australia's environment[1]
- Woolworths and Coles both rank in the top 10 brands found as litter in Sydney Harbour[2] and collectively make up two thirds of Australia's $148 billion supermarket industry[3]
Nearly 200 Coles shareholders are urging the company to come clean on its plastic use and reduce packaging after rival Woolworths became the first of Australia's two major supermarkets to reveal plastic packaging used for own-brand products.
A group of 190 Coles Group investors has launched a members' statement with concerns about plastic packaging ahead of its annual general meeting in November. The statement outlines the risk of inaction, urges the company to take steps to reduce its use of plastic packaging on own-brand products and, importantly, publicly report on its progress. The statement has been sent to Coles, and such member statements are normally circulated to all shareholders before the AGM. The investors are supported by the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS), ethical share trading platform SIX, and sustainable superannuation fund Future Super.
Supermarket rival Woolworths took a significant step towards taking accountability for its plastic use late last month by publicly reporting the plastic intensity score for its own-brand packaging for the first time. Plastic intensity scores quantifies the amount of plastic packaging used per product sold.
AMCS Plastics and Packaging Program Manager Tara Jones (she/her) said: "While Coles is being called out for sweeping its plastic problem under the shelf, Woolworths has taken a significant and welcome step towards accountability.
"The recent removal of krill oil products show just how decisively both Coles and Woolworths can choose to act in response to the environmental expectations of consumers and investors. Woolworths has shown its competitors that the same can be done for plastic use. Ahead of its AGM, the pressure is now on Coles to explain why it still won't tell investors and customers how much plastic is used for its own-brand packaging.
"The self-reported plastic intensity score from Woolworths reveals 10 grams of plastic were used per unit sold across its supermarket and BigW stores in the previous financial year.
"It's the first time either of Australia's biggest two supermarkets have ever published a plastic intensity score, and just the second time any of the major Australian supermarkets have done so.
"In 2019, ALDI publicly reported its first and only plastic intensity score of 15 grams of plastic per product, but has since fallen silent. ALDI has failed to publicly report its score in the years since, while Coles has never publicly reported a plastic intensity score.
"For the past three years, AMCS has co-published the annual Unwrapped report on plastic use in Australia's major supermarkets. Woolworths, Coles and the other major supermarkets all scored failing grades for their plastic use every year. A lack of transparency has been a key factor in these failing grades.
"The less plastic that gets produced, the less plastic ends up polluting our environment. Publicly tracking plastic use is the first step to meaningful reduction. Now we need Woolworths to keep publishing this data each year, Coles to pick up its slack, and every major supermarket to drive down its overall plastic use.
"The overproduction of plastic, including plastic packaging, is one of the biggest threats to our ocean and coasts. About 250kg of plastic leaks into the Australian environment every minute, and packaging makes up 60% of the litter polluting Australia's environment.
"Plastic pollution entangles, starves, smothers and poisons marine life and harms their habitats. Once in the ocean, plastic breaks up into microplastics and is almost impossible to recover. Australian sea turtle hatchlings and seabirds have been found with hundreds of plastic fragments in their guts. The longer we wait, the worse it gets for our marine ecosystems and wildlife."
The Environmental, Social and Governance Manager for SIX, James Alexander (he/him), said: "Woolworths' decision to publish a plastic intensity score is a big step forward. Many investors see excessive plastic waste as a material financial risk, including litigation related to harm from plastic, laws that penalise plastic packaging, and consumer backlash. Professional investors are asking how exposed the supermarkets are to this problem and how they are dealing with it.
"Our statement asks Coles to publicly report its plastic packaging use, set a plastic reduction target, eliminate unnecessary packaging, and publicly support an extended producer responsibility scheme that would cut ocean plastic pollution by reducing unnecessary plastic. It echoes the calls made to the world's largest grocery companies in 2023 by large investors managing $10 trillion of assets."
About the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS):
The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) is Australia's leading voice for ocean conservation. As an independent charity, we have been protecting our precious marine life and habitats since 1965.
We are a passionate community of scientists, educators, and advocates dedicated to safeguarding Australia's oceans. Our work has helped establish vital marine reserves, protect endangered species like the Australian sea lion, stop super trawlers and lead efforts to ban whaling.
From the Great Barrier Reef to Ningaloo, together with our community of ocean lovers, AMCS fights for healthy oceans and marine wildlife every day.
About SIX:
SIX is Australia's only ethical share trading platform that combines ethical investing with shareholder activism.
SIX works with NGOs and ethical investors to run campaigns that use shareholder power to push companies to improve their performance on issues such as climate change, deforestation, animal welfare, environmental protection
Through shareholder activism, SIX enables everyday investors to participate in corporate accountability campaigns.
About Future Super:
Future Super is a sustainable super fund investing in climate solutions. We help Australians direct their super into the industries building a future worth retiring into, and we use our voice to push for better outcomes for people and the planet. Because the choices we make with our money today shape the world we'll all live in tomorrow.
[1] Clean Up Australia (2025). Litter report FY25.
[2] Seabin. (2026). Sydney Harbour Pollution Intelligence. Seabin.Io. https://seabin.io/dashboard
[3] ACCC. (2025). Supermarkets inquiry – Final report
