News

Sainsbury's has made a public commitment to remove a third of the weight of its packaging by 2015, but will consider a range of factors to meet its environmental targets.

The retailer's head of print and packaging Stuart Lendrum backed a weight-based target as an easy message to convey to consumers. The new target came as Sainsbury's revealed a list of its customers' top packaging bugbears (see below).

But Lendrum told Packaging News that Sainsbury's would look at all relevant metrics, such as recycled content and carbon emissions, to achieve its 50,000-tonne target.

"We agree packaging is not just about weight and will consider all relevant metrics to deliver our aim of a 33% reduction on 2009 levels," he said.

Sainsbury's is a signatory to the Courtauld Commitment and had previously set a target of a 5% reduction in packaging, relative to turnover, by 2010 compared to 2004 levels.

Sainsbury's decision last month to drop the carton on its Basics Rice Pops cereal attracted national media attention. However, cereals were only one area in a number of packaging complaints.

Lendrum said there were few surprises as to which packs fared worst in the eyes of consumers, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, and that several were representative of a perceived "double packaging" of foods such as ready meals.

He added a complete packaging overhaul made it easier for consumers to see the changes made, but said that it was important to ensure it was the right format for the job and  to test consumer acceptance. "If you go too far, too soon the consumers won't go with you," he said.

PACKAGING BUGBEARS: TOP 5
• Fruit and vegetables that are both bagged and boxed
• Meat packaging that is hard to recycle
• Yoghurt pots: multipacks don’t need more packaging
• Cereals that are both bagged and boxed
• Pizza packed in several thin layers