Packaging Redux: Thinking Outside The Bag?

Will superstar athletes be so pleased when they see their images on a bag of Wheaties rather than a box? It is possible that the humble cereal box could become the next casualty in the war on waste. In the UK, Sainsbury’s, a major supermarket chain, announced a radical overhaul of their approach to packaging. They are looking to reduce the weight of packaging by a third by 2015, which equates to some 50,000 tonnes of waste. With this goal the company has already eliminated some cereal boxes and replaced them with a 100 per cent recyclable plastic package.

Although many US cereal makers will disagree with Sainsbury’s approach, the move was born out of consumer’s heightened environmental concern. The high waste involved in packaging was the top peeve on customer surveys. Sainsbury’s also said it would also reduce or eliminate altogether the cardboard layer used to package pizzas, tomato puree, yogurts and ready-made meals.

Sainsbury’s has already been active in reducing waste in other areas by selling milk in polythene bags and replacing 150 million trays of its ready-made meals and organic food with compostable packaging. In 2008, it reduced the environmental impact of its plastic carrier bags by 43 per cent, against an original commitment of 25 per cent.

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