UK – Sainsbury’s, one of the UK’s largest supermarket chains, has introduced new sustainable packaging for its bakery section, aiming to reduce plastic waste significantly.
This initiative is expected to cut over 560 tonnes of plastic annually.
The eco-friendly changes include replacing plastic clamshell packaging for doughnuts and pastries with recyclable cardboard and paper alternatives.
Doughnuts will now be sold in cardboard boxes with a small plastic window, while twin-pack pastries, croissants, and cinnamon swirls will be packaged in paper bags.
These efforts are expected to reduce plastic usage in the bakery section by 90% each year.
In addition, Sainsbury’s in-store bakery bread range will see a 60% reduction in plastic. Products such as loaves, baguettes, and batons will transition from full plastic bags to recyclable paper bags with plastic windows. This switch is set to save approximately 152 tonnes of plastic annually.
Customers can easily recycle the new packaging, with plastic windows designed to be removed and recycled at in-store collection points. The cardboard and paper components are recyclable through home curbside collections.
These changes will be rolled out across all Sainsbury’s stores in the coming months, adding to the retailer’s ongoing efforts to reduce plastic waste.
Sainsbury’s has already eliminated single-use plastic from mushroom punnets, saving around 775 tonnes of plastic annually. Additionally, they have replaced plastic packaging with paper for kitchen and toilet rolls, cutting over 485 tonnes of plastic each year.
Sainsbury’s has also introduced a “Good to Know” logo, which highlights products with reduced plastic packaging. This initiative helps customers make environmentally friendly choices more easily.
In June, Sainsbury’s took further steps to reduce plastic waste by revamping its fish and chicken packaging.
The retailer replaced plastic trays for its own-brand salmon and trout fillets with pulp cardboard, made from sugarcane pulp, reducing plastic by 70%. These trays are also fully recyclable at home.
Sainsbury’s has also transitioned to cardboard trays for its own-brand and “Taste the Difference” breaded chicken and fish products.
These changes are part of the company’s broader commitment to reducing plastic packaging and improving recyclability across all product lines.
The sustainable packaging rollout will continue throughout the year, extending to seasonal favourites in Sainsbury’s finger food and BBQ ranges, furthering their efforts to promote eco-friendly practices.
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