Sainsbury's announces plans to halve plastic packaging by 2025

Sainsbury’s has announced an ambitious new commitment to reduce plastic packaging by 50 per cent by 2025.

The new target will include all branded food packaging, Sainsbury’s brand food packaging and packaging across all of Sainsbury’s operations.

To meet this goal, the supermarket chain will launch a programme to accelerate change, which will include switching to alternative materials, using lighter-weight plastics and introducing refillable packaging at scale.

Following analysis of its plastic footprint, the key areas of focus for the biggest impact are: plastic milk bottles, packaging for fruit and vegetables, fizzy drinks, water and fruit juices, says the supermarket chain. 

To achieve its ambition, Sainsbury’s will pioneer new ways to collaborate with food manufacturers, packaging suppliers, raw material scientists and other retailers, alongside the waste and recycling industry.

To kickstart this collaboration, Sainsbury’s is co-hosting a summit with the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), today (Friday 13th September), which will bring together branded suppliers, researchers and government stakeholders to identify potential breakthrough innovation projects.

Sainsbury's will work with Greenpeace on this commitment and will report publicly on progress every six months.

Mike Coupe, Chief Executive of Sainsbury’s, said: “We have set ourselves a bold ambition because we understand that we urgently need to reduce our impact on the planet and to help drive change across our industry."

“Reducing plastic and packaging is not easy. Packaging plays a vital role in keeping our food safe and fresh and minimising food waste. We must therefore find alternatives to plastic that protect the quality of our food while minimising our impact on the environment."

“We can’t do this on our own and we will be asking our suppliers and our customers to work with us to help us make this important change.”