Packaging policy
Role of packaging
A product’s logistics chain involves various forms of packaging, including pallets, transport packaging, store packaging and retail packaging. Compatible packaging makes product handling easier throughout the supply chain and right through to the use of the product.
Commonly used packaging materials include plastics, wood and wood-based corrugated cardboard, paperboard and paper, glass, aluminium and other metals.
Packaging must protect the product from the environment and the environment from the product. It must provide information on the product and its use and communicate the product brand.
Packaging plays an important role in preventing food waste, as the right kind of packaging keeps food items safe and edible for longer.
The aim of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (2025/40) is to reduce the amount of packaging waste, improve the recyclability of packaging, increase reusable solutions and harmonise legislation across the EU. By 2030, all packaging placed on the market must be recyclable and meet EU requirements for recyclability. The Regulation mandates the use of recycled materials in plastic packaging. The Regulation sets requirements for the re-use of beverage containers and transport packaging. In the food sector, certain single-use plastic packaging will be banned. The Regulation sets uniform requirements for package labelling to make it easier for consumers and businesses to sort and recycle packaging.
The EU Directive regulating the use of single-use plastics (known as the SUP Directive, 2019/904), is to reduce the amount of plastic waste especially in marine environments, to promote a circular economy and to harmonise the product regulation in the EU single market. The product groups to which the requirements laid down in the legislation are applied have been selected based on an EU study on beach litter. The products or their packaging are made entirely or partly of plastic and are disposable. The Directive requires specific measures depending on the product group: reduction of consumption, product bans, product specification requirements, labelling requirements, separate collection requirements, extended producer responsibility, consumer education, data collection and EU reporting.
Environmental sustainability is a key consideration in our packaging policy
The retail packaging of our own brand products must be recyclable or reusable by the end of 2029.
In 2024, 97% of the materials used in the packaging of Kesko’s own brand products was recyclable*. This figure refers to products sold in Finland.
*We are developing our monitoring in line with the development of EU recycling standards. A standard for recyclability is to be adopted by 1 January 2028.
We favour renewable packaging materials: paperboard, paper and corrugated cardboard.
In our wood-based retail packages, we favour solutions of sustainable origin (FSC or PEFC certified) or made with recycled materials. The aim is for the wood-based single-use packaging used in our own production and warehouses to be of sustainable origin (FSC or PEFC certified) or made from recycled material by the end of 2029.
We avoid the use of excess packaging materials and reduce the use of plastic in a controlled way. Plastic is still an excellent packaging material for many food products because it effectively protects the product and reduces food waste. Due to its low weight, plastic contributes to reducing the environmental impact of logistics operations. We do not accept the environmentally harmful PVC as a packaging material. Due to the difficulties in recycling systems, biodegradable plastics are not considered suitable for packaging.
We reduce the amount of packaging material
In the packaging of own brand products, we optimize the amount of packaging material used, while maintaining the basic functions of packaging and minimizing product waste.
We do not overpackage or use excess layers of packaging.
Our packaging is recyclable
The packaging of our Pirkka, Pirkka Parhaat and K-Menu products have clear instructions for recycling. The recycling instructions on all our own brand products will gradually be replaced with harmonised label in packaging specified by the EU by August 2028.
We help our customers recycle packaging waste by providing them with Rinki ecopoints at K Group store locations.
Our reverse logistics operations collect and transport beverage containers and boxes from K Group stores and our HoReCa customers for reuse and recovery. We also collect packaging cardboard and plastic film from our HoReCa customers.
We are increasing the use of recycled materials in our packaging
We are constantly increasing the use of packaging made from recycled plastic and recycled cardboard.
The use of recycled materials in food packaging is regulated by EU legislation. (Regulations EC No 1935/2004, EU 2022/1616 and 2025/40 and supplementary provisions.)
We promote the reusability of packaging
In addition to the reusable FIN and EUR pallets, we use more than ten million reusable plastic transport packages in our supply chain.
In some of our grocery stores, customers can bring their own reusable plastic containers for items bought at service counters and salad bars. To do this, customers must have extremely good hygiene practices.
We take part in packaging research
We participate in packaging research projects that aim to find sustainable and/or new alternative packaging solutions. The Reusify research project aims to accelerate the use of reusable packaging in Finland by providing tools and resources to develop a scalable recycling system.
Our packaging objectives
| Topic | Objective | Progress |
| Objectives 2020-2025: | ||
| Retail packaging for Kesko’s own brand products | All retail packaging for Kesko’s own brand products will be recyclable or reusable by the of 2025. | In 2024, 97% of the materials used in the packaging of Kesko’s own brand products sold in Finland was recyclable |
| Plastics | We aim to reduce the amount of plastic in the packaging for our own brand products by 20% by the end of 2025 (from the 2019 baseline). | By the end of 2024, we had reduced plastic in the packaging of our own brand products in Kesko’s grocery trade by 14% and in the packaging of Kespro's own brand products by 6% from the 2019 level. |
| Objectives 2024-2030: | ||
| Waste recycling | We will improve our waste recycling rate by six percentage points by the end of 2030 compared to the 2024 baseline. | The objective was set in 2024. The 2024 baseline was 67%. The objective concerns all divisions and all operating countries. Most of the waste generated in Kesko’s operations is packaging. |
| Own brand packaging and the packaging in own production | Kesko’s own brand packaging, as well as the packaging used in its own production (Kespro’s Kalatukku E. Eriksson and Reinin liha) and warehouses, will be recyclable or reusable by the end of 2029. | The objective was set in the summer of 2025. The objective concerns all divisions and all operating countries. |
| Wood-based single-use packaging used in own production and warehouses will be FSC or PEFC certified or made from recycled material by the end of 2029. | The objective was set in the summer of 2025. The objective concerns all divisions and all operating countries. |
| Commitment | Objective | Progress |
| The food industry’s material efficiency commitment 2020-2026 | Kesko’s objective is to increase our waste recycling rate by four percentage points from the 2019 baseline. The food industry’s material efficiency commitment sets an objective to improve the waste recycling rate in K-food stores and Kesko's own operations. The packaging waste generated in the stores and in the logistics chain plays an essential role here. | The 2019 baseline was 74% and at the end of 2024, the recycling rate at food stores covered by our centralised waste framework agreement was 81%, which means we have exceeded our target. |
| SUP Green Deal commitment | At the end of 2022, we joined the SUP (Single Use Plastic) Green Deal and committed to reduce the amount of single-use plastic in drink cups and portion packages, and to develop packaging solutions together with our partners. Green deal sitoumukset - Sitoumus2050 |
Some of the commitment's objectives, such as reducing the amount of plastic in drink cups sold empty, have progressed faster than expected. On the other hand, reducing plastic in portion packages is more challenging, as the sale of fruit and vegetables has increased due to dietary recommendations. |
| Construction plastics Green Deal commitment 2022-2027: The objective is to accelerate the circular economy of plastics by reducing and optimizing the use of plastic and promoting the recycling of plastic and use of recycled plastic in the construction industry. | Kesko’s building and technical trade in Finland joined the commitment in 2022. Our objectives are optimizing the use of film plastics and sustainably reducing consumption, as well as increasing the use of recycled materials in our own packaging. | The share of film plastics made from recycled material of the total consumption in our own packaging is 11.5% (Onninen central warehouse in 2024). |
| Challenge | ||
| Plastics challenge: Kesko’s grocery trade is setting its partners a challenge to collect and recycle the plastic material generated in their own operations. The challenge aims to ensure there will be sufficient resources in the future, that there is enough recycled raw material available and that the EU’s recycling targets will be achieved. |
The aim is to get 50 suppliers to commit to the Plastic Challenge. | The plastics challenge was launched in June 2025 and will continue until June 2027. More details (in Finnish): Plastic Challenge |
The packaging policy was published on 8 August 2025. The packaging policy replaces the former packaging policy and the plastics policy.
