Sainsbury’s has become the first UK retailer to recycle its old food crates into ones made from 100 per cent recycled material.
It is hoped that recycling these crates to a more efficient crate type will significantly reduce empty crate transport – reducing the number of road journeys needed to transport crates back to suppliers.
The crates, recycled for Sainsbury’s by Schoeller Allibert, are the first in the UK to be made from 100 per cent recycled material and meet European Food Safety Authority Standards so they can transport food safely.
Simon Stokoe, senior strategy manager for Sainsbury’s Supply Chain, said: “This piece of work was not only about making the right decision for Sainsbury’s from an efficiency perspective - it was also about making sure we did it sustainably. A win-win.”
Simon Moulson, head of retail sales for Schoeller Allibert, said: “Schoeller Allibert’s EFSA-approved recycling and remoulding process has been developed to help retailers meet increasing stringent sustainability targets as well as strict food safety and hygiene standards.”
The conversion process involves two million old, inefficient crates being ground down into plastic flakes, which are washed and dried.
This plastic is then used to form new 100 per cent recycled food safe crates by Schoeller Allibert – an industry first in the UK.
The process produces minimal waste, creating a sustainable packaging cycle, and recycling the old crates into the new type should mean that all crates are standardised and stack together more efficiently.
