Sainsbury’s to save 450 tonnes of plastic each year by vacuum packing beef mince
Sainsbury’s is swapping traditional plastic tray packaging for a new vacuum-packed alternative across its beef mince range.
The supermarket said the move will save 450 tonnes of plastic per year and result in a minimum 55% reduction in plastic per product. Customers will be able to purchase beef mince in the new packaging both in-store and online from today.
Claire Hughes, director of product and innovation at Sainsbury’s, said: “We know our customers expect us to be reducing the use of plastic across our products are and we’re constantly looking for new ways to innovate to meet our Plan for Better plastic reduction targets. We strive to be bold in the changes we are making, which is why we’re pleased to be the first UK retailer to vacuum pack all our beef mince range without impacting the quantity or great quality of product that our customers expect.
Sainsbury’s is aiming to halve its use of own-brand plastic packaging by 2025 after becoming the first UK supermarket to remove plastic bags for loose fruit, vegetables and bakery items from all stores, as well as black plastic from chilled ready meals in 2019.
More recently, the supermarket announced the removal of single-use plastic lids across its own-brand yoghurt, crème fraiche, sour cream, cream, cottage cheese, custard and dip pots. It has also made its own-brand coffee pods fully recyclable.
Hughes added: “This is the latest in a long line of changes we have pioneered in the space working collaboratively with our suppliers, and customers can expect much more to come from Sainsbury’s.”
