Sainsbury’s switches own-brand chicken and fish line packaging from plastic to pulp cardboard in a move the supermarket said could save 694 tonnes of plastic annually.
In what it called a “UK retailer first”, Sainsbury’s said switching to the new packaging will reduce plastic use by 70%.
The pulp cardboard trays are made from sugarcane pulp and are lined with polyethylene film. Sainsbury’s said the tray can be recycled at home and the film at one of its front-of-store flexible plastics recycling points.
Claire Hughes, Director of Product and Innovation at Sainsbury’s, said: “With salmon being one of our most popular fish, we made it a priority to reduce the plastic on the packaging of this much-loved product as we work towards our Plan for Better goals.
“We are now the first retailer to make the move to have recycled pulp card trays across all our by Sainsbury’s and Taste the Difference salmon products, enabling a whopping 70% plastic reduction.
“Together with changes to our breaded fish and chicken packaging, we are set to save 694 tonnes of plastic a year – a significant step towards our plastic reduction goals.”
Sainsbury’s recently launched its “Good to Know” logo which helps customers find products that are more sustainable, including those with reduced plastic packaging.
The new logo is aimed to help customers understand the retailer’s work around sustainability and its work towards its Plan for Better ambitions.
Customers will be able to find the “Good to Know” logo on the latest packaging across its salmon products.
The announcements are the latest in a string of changes made by the retailer as part of its commitment to reduce its own-brand plastic packaging, such as the by Sainsbury’s plastic steak trays being replaced with cardboard alternatives.
Sainsbury’s also recently swapped from plastic punnets to cardboard for all its own brand mushrooms, which it said saved over 775 tonnes of plastic a year.
