Royal British Legion announce major change to Remembrance Day poppies

The red Remembrance Day poppy has become an iconic symbol of peace and respect. In 2023, the poppies which are sold by the Royal British Legion to raise money for charity will undergo a huge change.

The RBL has announced  the poppy will become entirely plastic free from this year. The emblem will be made entirely out of paper and will be available from October 2023.

The move is a further step from the RBL to stop the use of single-use plastics in their poppies. According to the charity, paper was chosen as the material of choice over expensive and complicated bio-based plastics to create a single-material solution that can be easily recycled.

The new plastic-free poppy is created from bespoke red and green paper, which has been produced from a blend of renewable fibres from responsible sources, 50% of which has been recovered from the waste used in the production of coffee cups.

Director of the Poppy Appeal, Andy Taylor-White said: “We are very proud to introduce the plastic-free poppy that will not only enable people to support our Armed Forces community but also continues the RBL’s commitment to sustainability.

“The development of our new poppy has been years in the making as we’ve worked alongside experts to ensure its production is truly less impactful on the environment, and we are thrilled to now share that we have successfully removed the single-use plastic from our poppy.

“We hope our new plastic-free poppy will encourage people to support the Poppy Appeal this year and help the RBL to continue our vital work.”

The charity added that the plastic-free poppy will be available alongside remaining stocks of the current poppy to reduce any waste of poppies already produced, and can be fastened with a pin or inserted into a buttonhole. You can also return single-use plastic poppies to Sainsbury’s stores for recycling.