Waste and packaging
In line with our corporate goal of eliminating waste throughout the company, our environmental goal is to reduce the waste we produce from our own operations, recover as much as is practical, and ensure the remainder is disposed of responsibly. We also encourage customers to recycle by providing recycling facilities at our stores, and we stock a range of recycled products.
Most of the waste we produce is generated in our stores, from cardboard and plastic packaging, and waste food. Our offices also generate waste such as paper, toner cartridges and old computer equipment.
We also seek to minimise consumer packaging while still preserving its primary function of protecting the product throughout the supply chain. We are supporting a move towards the types of plastic collected in local authority recycling schemes, such as PET (used in fizzy drink bottles) and HDPE (used in milk and laundry liquid such as fabric conditioner).
We are committed to reducing waste and to recycling and composting where possible. This not only reduces our impact on the environment, but also conserves material resources and saves money.
The packaging regulations of 1998 require us to minimise packaging and design packaging for recycling, while taking into account the safety, hygiene and consumer acceptance of our products.
We have exceeded our packaging reduction target by a wide margin. We have reduced the weight of packaging per million pounds of sales by 18% since the 1999/2000 base year.
We have started using biodegradable trays for our own-label organic fruit and vegetables, which until now were packed using conventional material.
Many people argue that we should sell fruit and vegetables loose, but we have to keep organic and non-organic products separate and packing organic products makes sure we can do this.
We have a large food donation programme which gives food to charity that is beyond its display-by date but within its use-by date. This helps to prevent food being wasted. See food and equipment donations.
Waste generated
Performance in 2004/05
Reducing waste
We encourage our stores to produce less waste, and provide guidance to promote efficient stock control.
Transit packaging is the largest constituent of waste by volume. We estimate that cardboard, polythene and clear/semi-transparent trays (for products like yoghurt and cream) take up an average 30-35% of the space in a skip. Where possible, we use reusable crates rather than cardboard packaging, since crates are durable and can be reused many times.
Broken crates are now collected for recycling and are incorporated in the containers used in the plastic bag recycling scheme available in all our larger stores.
We have carried out three waste surveys across our stores (in 1995, 1997 and 2003) to provide a better understanding of the types of waste produced and enable us to set reduction targets and priorities.
We have achieved a steady decline in waste sent to landfill, relative to our sales. In 2004/05 we landfilled 5.73 tonnes of waste for every £1 million sales, compared to 6 tonnes in 2002/3. This did not achieve our original target to reduce the volume of waste by 10% from the level in 1999/00. The reduction was 2.5%. But in 2004/05 we set a new target for 2010: to reduce waste sent to landfill by 5% against the 2004/05 baseline, and increase the amount of recycling relative to turnover.
Waste volumes can be affected by factors outside our control, such as customer demand and product preference. For example, the growing demand for fresh fruit increases food waste because it is highly perishable and easily damaged.
Regulations such as the introduction of the Animal By-Products Order and the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (the 'WEEE' Directive) influence the volumes and types of waste we are responsible for.
Animal by-products
New regulations on uncooked animal by-products mean that fresh meat and fish waste can no longer be disposed of in landfill sites. From the beginning of 2006 no waste containing meat and fish (including ready meals and sandwiches) can go to landfill sites. About 30% of store waste falls into this category.
We are pursuing composting and anaerobic digestion as alternatives to landfill, and have been involved in composting trials for ten years now. Composting produces a useful soil conditioning material, and anaerobic digestion produces methane which can be burnt to generate energy, and leaves a residue which can be used as a soil conditioner. We participated in the UK's first anaerobic digestion trial of food in its packaging in the Ludlow area at the end of 2004.
Recycling
We emphasise the financial and environmental benefits of recycling for stores. Guidance for colleagues on recycling good practice is provided on our intranet site.
We have begun to gather more reliable data about the types and volumes of waste generated and how much of this is recycled. We had an external waste audit in 2004 which provided a baseline to measure our performance against, especially for recycling paper.
In 2004/05 we recycled almost 118,000 tonnes of cardboard and over 5,000 tonnes of plastic. We also sent 2,300 tonnes of waste for composting and donated more than 7,300 tonnes to charities.
We also promote recycling in our offices. In our London Business Centre, our facilities management team has promoted waste awareness. It has developed a programme to recycle paper and cardboard, glass, plastics, cans, cooking oils and toner cartridges. And we have introduced a scheme to reuse mobile phones, personal computers, furniture, and coat hangers. This initiative was recognised by the Corporation of London in 2004/05 with a Platinum Award for environmental performance.
The London Business Centre also organises donations of various items to charities including Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity, Richard House Children's Hospice, and the Salvation Army.
Recycled goods and materials
As a retailer, we can have a significant influence on the development of markets for recycled goods. We sell a wide range of recycled goods in our stores, including the Revive range of paper towels, kitchen towels, writing paper and envelopes and the Remarkable range of stationery products, which includes pencils, rulers, notepads, pencil cases and mousemats all made from recycled materials.
One fifth of all paper products we sell have a recycled content. This includes newspapers, as well as the Revive range.
We also use recycled material in packaging where food safety standards permit. Currently about 300 of our 10,000 own label products are packed in recycled material and we support the government's 'Recycle Now' campaign. In 2005 our own-label Easter egg production used a third less packaging than last year. Where possible we used types of packaging chosen by a growing number of local authorities for their suitability for recycling – such as PET. We used reusable packaging such as a purse, a toy train and a toy box to contain the eggs. This is an innovative approach to recycling which we hope to apply to more products in the future. Sales were better than before, and with the exception of one product line, damages were insignificant.
We are signatories to the Mayor of London's Green Procurement Code that tries to ensure that goods not for resale also have as high a recycled content as possible. For example, the plastic body of the plastic bag recycling units introduced to our bigger stores have 100% recycled content (including broken crates from our supply chain).
Recycling banks
We provide space for local authority recycling facilities at 346 Sainsbury's stores. These sites enable customers to recycle their own glass, paper, plastics and textiles. In 2004/05 we estimate that these facilities have enabled recycling of:
- 43,000 tonnes glass
- 65,000 tonnes paper
- 4,300 tonnes cans
- 2,000 tonnes plastic packaging.
The main area that needs expanding is plastic recycling, of which there are currently only 80 sites, but we are working with local authorities to increase this number.
Customers can now also bring carrier bags back to us for recycling. With the exception of the small Locals, our stores have new recycling banks, themselves made from recycled material, that accept any type of plastic bag.
We are taking part in a £0.5 million project to evaluate how recycling rates might be improved. The project group consists of the government Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the recycling company Valpac, the logistics company Christian Salvesen, and six London local authorities. The evaluation will cover six of our stores for a year.
