UK-based retailer Sainsbury's has replaced the glass used in its peanut butter jars with plastic in a move that reduces carbon emissions by over 150t.
According to Sainsbury's, the change has cut packaging by 83% or 882,000k and puts the retailer on its way to meeting its target to cut total packaging by a third by 2015. With the reduced weight, the new jars have a lower environmental impact and also require less fuel to transport.
Sainsbury's head of packaging Stuart Lendrum said the new jars will be less prone to breaking making them even better than the previous ones.
Over the past year, the retailer has cut packaging levels by 12 million kilos, with around 7% of packaging removed from its own-label products.
Sainsbury's Taste the Difference ready meals have had the size of their outer sleeves reduced by 45%, leading to a saving of more than 5,500,000k of paperboard each year.
