Sainsbury on course with packaging reduction

UK supermarket J Sainsbury is on course to hit its target of reducing the total packaging volume it uses by a third by 2015.
 
The company said it has ‘the most ambitious packaging reduction target’ within the UK supermarket industry, and has already cut packaging levels by 12 million kilograms over the past year, equating to seven per cent of the packaging for its own-brand products.  It said this has been achieved with new packaging design, with Taste the Difference ready meals having their outer sleeve sizes reduced by 45 per cent and removing 5.5 million kilograms of cardboard used.
 
Other initiatives that have contributed to the 12 million kilogram reduction include: the introduction of heat-seal lids on soft fruit lines, cartons removed from its Ventresca tuna fillets, Easter egg packaging reduced by 57 per cent since 2008 and the cardboard used on its pizza base mix reduced to save 87 per cent of the packaging.
 
It also recently switched its peanut butter jars to plastic from glass, a change it said will cut the packaging used by 83 per cent or 882,000 kilograms. The change is the first of its kind by a UK retailer, it claimed, and the reduced weight means not only a lower environmental impact but also less fuel required for transport. As such, the new jars are said to have the potential to reduce Sainsbury's carbon emissions by more than 150 tonnes.
 
Sainsbury’s head of packaging Stuart Lendrum said: ‘Our work on peanut butter is a great example of how you can reduce packaging without sacrificing its effectiveness. In fact, the new jars will be less prone to breaking making them even better than the previous ones.  Excess packaging is one of the top concerns among customers, so it is a real priority for us. It is vital that we strike the correct balance between ensuring packaging is functional and reducing the volume we use.’