Sainsbury’s is set to introduce a trial scheme for customers to ‘pre-cycle’ by providing an area for customers to remove unwanted primary and secondary packaging in
This means that food remains protected through the supply chain, but offers the customer the option to recycle before they take the item home.
The supermarket has also announced it will end the use of dark coloured plastics (which are difficult to recycle) across fresh foods by the end of 2019 and entirely by March 2020, as well as remove all plastic packaging from Christmas crackers this year.
In addition, Sainsbury’s will remove plastic packaging from sweetheart and savoy cabbages, cutting a further 100 tonnes of plastic packaging over the next year, as part of a drive to significantly reduce plastic packaging.
CEO Mike Coupe – “Today’s announcements show what we have already achieved and
demonstrate our firm commitments for the future to make significant reductions in plastic use.”
Sainsbury’s has previously implemented measures that are already leading to a reduction of 8,101 tonnes of non-recyclable plastic and use of “virgin plastic” every year.
Over the next twelve months, Sainsbury’s will remove a further 1,280 tonnes of plastic from products and ensure all plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, it says.
Sainsbury’s four-point plan for cutting plastic use falls under the four headings of remove, reduce, replace and recycle.
For the first time Sainsbury’s is setting out in detail where plastic is being completely removed, where plastic is being reduced and where non-recyclable plastic is being replaced with recyclable alternatives.
CEO Mike Coupe said: “We are serious about reducing plastic. For many years, Sainsbury’s has