News

Supermarket chain Sainsbury's is aiming to save more than 3,500 tonnes of plastic packaging a year by switching to compostable packets.

Chief executive Justin King said 150m plastic trays and bags for ready meals and organic foods would "disappear" every year.

His firm has been trialling biodegradable packs made from maize, sugar cane and starch, but a spokeswoman refused to say which packaging companies it used.

Sainsbury's hailed the scheme as an "environmental revolution in packaging" and the "biggest-ever initiative to eliminate plastics from Britain's high streets".

It would save more than 4,000 tonnes of fossil fuels a year, said King.

The initiative follows a move by Ikea revealed last week to use compostable plastic carrier bags made from corn crops, which are to be supplied by Europackaging.

For more, see this Thursday's PrintWeek.