Sainsbury’s announces plastic packaging ban in every UK store on own-brand ranges

The supermarket is aiming to save 71 million pieces of plastic every year
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Sainsbury’s is removing all plastic lids from its own-brand ranges as it bids to save 71 million pieces of plastic every year.

Dips are set to be the next product to see the change and will mean own-label products such as guacamole, tzatziki and sour cream and chive dip will no longer be sold with single-use plastic lids from March 2023.

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The move comes after Sainsbury’s removed plastic from a variety of other dairy products including cream, crème fraîche, custard, cottage cheese and sour cream in 2019.

In Sainsbury’s Leoaai Elghareeb also threw eggs and swore at staff and customers, Isleworth Crown Court heard. Credit: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty ImagesIn Sainsbury’s Leoaai Elghareeb also threw eggs and swore at staff and customers, Isleworth Crown Court heard. Credit: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images
In Sainsbury’s Leoaai Elghareeb also threw eggs and swore at staff and customers, Isleworth Crown Court heard. Credit: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

The supermarket also removed single-use plastic lids from all own-brand yoghurt earlier this year.

After removing plastic lids from Sainsbury’s own-brand brandy cream last year, customers can buy Sainsbury’s own-brand brandy butter without plastic lids, helping save on average, 581,000 pieces of plastic this festive season.

The removal of single-use plastic lids will save 71 million pieces of plastic each year in total, equating to 220 tonnes, Sainsbury’s said. The move is just one of the ways the supermarket is working towards its commitment to halve its use of its own brand plastic packaging by 2025.

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Sainsbury’s recently changed its entire coffee pods range from plastic to aluminium pods, allowing customers to recycle them at home and helping to save more than 10 million pieces of plastic each year. The supermarket also launched new double-length toilet rolls, reducing plastic packaging by 30% equating to 84 tonnes of plastic.

For customers who would prefer to use lids on products, Sainsbury’s has launched reusable silicone lids which are available to purchase across all superstores across Britain as well as online for £1.25. The lids can be found in-store in the dairy aisle and can be used on own-brand pots, as well as some branded pots, including Yeo Valley, Onken and Alpro. After each use, the silicone lids simply need to be washed by hand or in the dishwasher, before being reused.

Rival stores impose plastic bans

The ban on single-use plastics has also been imposed in rival UK supermarkets, including Tesco and Aldi. Tesco announced in April this year that it would be buying more loose fruit and vegetables as part of plans to remove all plastic wrappers from five billion items sold by 2025.

Meanwhile, budget supermarket Aldi has said it will remove all plastic shrink wrap from its multipack baked beans as part of plans to reduce its carbon footprint. The move will save 78 tonnes of single-use plastic from going to landfill each year, according to the retailer. It has also pledged to halve the volume of plastic packaging it uses by 2025.

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