Sainsbury's switches to cartons for Basics canned tomatoes

The switch to SIG Combibloc cartons for the tomatoes is part of the supermarket chain's aim to cut its packaging weight by a third by 2015.

It hopes to cut 500 tonnes of packaging weight annually with the move, which comes two years after the company first moved its premium tomatoes into Tetra Recart packs.

Sainsbury's sells 22m cans of Basics tomatoes every year, making them the highest-selling non-fresh item in the store. The retailer has estimated that the change will reduce carbon emissions by 156 tonnes per year.

Sainsbury's head of packaging Stuart Lendrum said: "This type of carton is a strong challenger to the traditional tin can in many ways, and may well pose a threat to its dominance over the coming years."

He said that the format would take less space in customers' cupboards and would could be packed more tightly during transit, leading to fewer lorry journeys.

However, the move is likely to rile the metal packaging industry, which claims that its products are greener than cartons due to their infinite recyclability.

Elsewhere, the retailer is also due to drop the box from all its Basics Cornflakes and Fruit & Fibre cereals in March, a change that will cut 126 tonnes of packaging. It has already removed the box from its Rice Pops cereals.

Packaging for a number of Basics products has been lightweighted in recent months. These include redesigning the Basics egg box to reduce weight by 8.5% and removing the plastic lid from Basics yoghurt, saving 14 tonnes of packaging annually.

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