Plastics and Packaging

Plastics and Packaging

13 September 2019

How we’ll meet our commitment to halve plastic by 2025

Packaging helps us deliver fresh, undamaged produce day in, day out but we know that it can have a negative impact on our planet.

Respecting the environment is one of our core values that sits at the heart of the business. We care about the planet and the effect that both we, and our global suppliers, have on the environment and are always working hard to ensure we are operating in the most sustainable way possible. Reducing plastic across all our stores and supply chain is one of our absolute priorities which is why we’re the UK’s first major retailer to make a significant commitment to reduce plastic – we’ve pledged to cut plastic by 50% by 2025.

How will we meet our target?

We are well aware that this is ambitious as we currently use around 120,000 tonnes of plastic per year and reduce plastic packaging by around 1% each year. We’re not simply focussing on reducing plastic on our own-brand products or through quick wins in small-scale areas, we’ve taken our commitment further and will be halving the total plastic in the business.

Meeting this commitment will pose significant challenges that will require transformational thinking across the industry and whilst we will endeavour to change as much as we possibly can, we simply cannot make these changes alone. We will we be working alongside our suppliers, manufacturers, customers and other retailers to reduce the amount of plastic across the supply chain, whilst also investing in research and development to create alternatives to plastic as well as introduce refillable packaging. We’ll work with Greenpeace on this commitment and will report publicly on progress every six months.

We’re also looking to change shopping habits and dramatically cut the amount of plastic used across the UK, that’s why we’re co-hosting a summit alongside the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), to get these collaborative discussions underway.

“I commend the leadership shown by Sainsbury’s and their efforts to introduce new industry-wide standards and reporting, ensuring that our environment is protected for future generations.
This is a brilliant example of the integral role business has to play in cutting plastic waste, empowering consumers to make more sustainable choices.”

Theresa Villiers
Environment Secretary

What have we done so far?

Our 2025 commitment is the end goal of our overarching aim to reduce plastics, but it will be achieved through the introduction of several initiatives with the ambition to reduce, replace and recycle.

We have been working hard over the past 12 months to understand the most sustainable way for us to implement changes that reduce plastic usage but also avoid any alternative harmful effects to our planet.

We’ve previously implemented measures that are leading to a reduction of over 10,000 tonnes of non-recyclable plastic and “virgin plastic” every year. This is in addition to our commitments to ensure all plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.

Sainsbury’s existing plastic reduction commitments:

Remove

  • We’ve removed black plastic trays from chilled ready meals – we were the first retailer to offer a recyclable alternative in our own-brand range, saving over 1,000 tonnes of hard to recycle plastic each year
  • Lightweight loose produce bags will be removed by September 2019 (489 tonnes) - we’ve launched reusable bags in the fruit and veg aisles of all of our stores and we also encourage customers to bring in their own containers
  • Plastic trays are being removed from asparagus and sweetcorn (144 tonnes); cream pots (114 tonnes); tomatoes (102 tonnes); carrots (38 tonnes); and herb pots (18 tonnes)
  • Plastic has already been removed from organic bananas, easy peeler citrus fruit and single loose cauliflowers and brassicas
  • Microbeads were removed from our Own Brand products in 2013
  • Plastic straws (37 tonnes)
  • Plastic stems from cotton buds, replacing them with a biodegradable option (50 tonnes)
  • Plastic trays on plants and flowers, switching to wooden alternatives (5 tonnes)
  • Plastic sleeves from clothing (1000 tonnes)
  • Plastic cups and cutlery from all our offices (14 tonnes)
  • Plastic tampon applicators (approximately 3 tonnes)

Replace

  • Fresh food black plastic trays will be replaced with recyclable alternatives (6000 tonnes) by end of this year
  • PVC and polystyrene trays will be replaced with recyclable alternatives (1213 tonnes)
  • Plastic film on fruit and vegetables will be replaced with a recyclable alternative (2518 tonnes) by end 2020
  • All our Own Brand flushable wipes are plastic free and compliant with industry guidelines which are recognised across the UK and Europe. We’re also working to meet the new ‘Fine to Flush’ standard in the future while ensuring we do not compromise the quality of the product.
  • Plastic cutlery was replaced with wooden cutlery in Food to Go, saving 38 tonnes of plastic

Re-use

  • Fresh water stands will be available for customers to refill their own water bottles in 326 supermarket cafes across the country
  • Customers are encouraged to bring their own containers to meat and deli counters

Recycle

  • A 'pre-cycle' area will be trialed in stores for customers to remove unwanted packaging and leave it for recycling
  • Customers will be able to use recycling facilities at further 125 stores (currently 275).
  • Collaboration with others on research to develop new packaging and recycling technologies
  • Deposit Return Schemes are being piloted so customers can return recyclable packaging simply and easily - plastic bottles, cans and glass can be recycled in several stores across England and Wales, giving customers the opportunity to get money off their shop

Over the next few months, we’ll also be replacing or reducing:

  • Black plastic trays with recyclable alternatives (6000 tonnes)
  • Plastic film on fruit and vegetables with a recyclable alternative (2518 tonnes)
  • PVC and polystyrene trays with recyclable alternatives (1213 tonnes)
  • Plastic trays for eggs with a fibre alternative (341 tonnes)
  • Plastic cutlery for takeaway food with wooden alternatives (38 tonnes)
  • Plastic content from water bottles (175 tonnes)
  • Plastic from ready meals (65 tonnes)
  • Non-recycled hangers (800 tonnes)
  • Plastic used in poultry packaging (61 tonnes)

Sainsbury’s is also looking to open source ideas. From today, it will have an area on its website for customers, colleagues, manufacturers, entrepreneurs and other interested parties to submit ideas to help reduce plastic packaging: www.about.sainsburys.co.uk/helpreduceplastic.

We also have several exciting announcements planned to celebrate Recycle Week at the end of September and many more as we head towards 2020. Watch this space!