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UK Retailer Sainsbury’s has pledged to become the country’s first supermarket to ditch plastic bags for loose fruit, veg, and all bakery items.
From September this year, paper bags will be available to customers for loose bakery items – while those buying loose fruit and vegetables have the option to bring their own bags or buy a reusable bag made from recycled materials.
The decision is said to cut around 1,284 tonnes of plastic this year, adding to the supermarket’s previously implemented measures that are already leading to a reduction of 8,101 tonnes of non-recyclable plastic and ‘virgin plastic’ every year.
Sainsbury’s has also vowed to remove plastic cutlery from its stores, as well as plastic trays for asparagus and sweetcorn, plastic lids from cream pots, plastic trays for tomatoes, plastic trays for carrots, and plastic sleeves from herb pots.
‘Absolutely committed’
In a statement sent to Plant Based News, 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.”
