Sainsbury’s has committed to cutting a further 1,284 tonnes of plastic this year.
This includes removing 489 tonnes’ worth of plastic bags, which are currently used for loose fruit, vegetables and bakery items.
By September, paper bags will be available to customers for loose bakery items.
Customers buying loose fruit and vegetables will either be able to bring their own bags or buy a re-usable bag made from recycled materials.
Sainsbury’s will also remove plastic cutlery from stores as well, plastic trays for asparagus and sweetcorn, plastic lids from cream pots,plastic trays for tomatoes and carrots and plastic sleeves from herb pots.
The company has also committed to replace:black plastic trays with recyclable alternatives, plastic film on fruit and vegetables with a recyclable alternative,PVC and polystyrene trays with recyclable alternatives,plastic trays for eggs with a fibre alternative and
plastic cutlery for takeaway food with wooden alternatives.
Sainsbury’s CEO Mike Coupe said: “We are absolutely committed to reducing unnecessary plastic packaging in Sainsbury’s stores. Our customers expect us to be leading the way on major issues like this, so I am determined to remove and replace plastic packaging where we can and offer alternatives to plastic where packaging is still required to protect a product.”
Sainsbury’s recently shared bold commitments for removing and replacing plastic that included a pledge to 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.
Sainsbury’s has confirmed black plastic trays will be replaced with recyclable alternatives by the end of the year, with black ready-meal trays replaced within the next two months.
