Sainsbury’s stocks shelves with 100 percent recycled plastic crates

Sainsbury’s is the first UK retailer to recycle its old food crates into more efficient ones made from 100 percent recycled plastic.

The retailer says the new-type crate will “significantly reduce” empty crate transport, with the standardised crate stacking together more efficiently resulting in fewer necessary journeys to suppliers.

The crates, recycled for Sainsbury’s by Schoeller Allibert, are the first in the UK to be made from 100 percent recycled material and meet European Food Safety Authority Standards. Historically, 100 percent recycled food crates have not been used for the transportation of food products.

The process will see two million old, inefficient crates ground down into plastic flakes, which are washed and dried before Schoeller Allibert reforms them into new crates. The process produces minimal waste, creating a sustainable packaging cycle.

“Schoeller Allibert’s EFSA-approved recycling and remoulding process has been developed to help retailers meet increasing stringent sustainability targets as well as strict food safety and hygiene standards,” commented Simon Moulson, Head of Retail Sales for Schoeller Allibert.

Simon Stokoe, Senior Strategy Manager for Sainsbury’s Supply Chain, said: “This piece of work was not only about making the right decision for Sainsbury’s from an efficiency perspective - it was also about making sure we did it sustainably. A win-win.”