Sainsbury’s is introducing a raft of packaging changes across its own-brand chicken and fish lines, with the new coverings set to save 694 tonnes of plastic a year.
All the grocer’s own-brand salmon fillet trays are switching from pulp cardboard instead of plastic, in a UK retailer first, which will result in 70% less plastic, saving 346 tonnes a year.
The retailer said the new trays are made from sugarcane pulp, and are lined with polyethylene film.
Alongside this, Sainsbury’s is also rolling out cardboard trays across its Taste the Difference and By Sainsbury’s breaded chicken lines in a move set to save 300 tonnes of plastic a year.
The supermarket is also making the same changes to its Taste the Difference breaded fish fillets, which will save around 48 tonnes of plastic annually.
The new packaging will be introduced throughout the summer across many seasonal chicken favourites, including breaded goujons, nuggets, schnitzels, as well as the supermarket’s finger food and BBQ range.
Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest news straight into your inbox each morning
The retailer said the pulp cardboard trays and cardboard packaging are easily recyclable, helping customers to reduce their household waste.
Sainsbury’s director of product and innovation Claire Hughes 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.”
Back in April, the grocer launched a new in-store marketing campaign to further showcase its supply chain and sustainability credentials.
Orange point of sale signs with the slogan ‘Good to Know’ have been introduced in its stores and will be featured on packaging and a new radio campaign later this year.
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter
