Sainsbury’s, the second largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom has pledged to halve the amount of plastic used in its stores by 2025. "We can't do this on our own and we will be asking our suppliers and our customers to work with us," said Sainsbury’s CEO Mike Coupe. Talks with food manufacturers, suppliers, scientists and the waste and recycling industry have already begun to identify some initiatives to implement the changes. The supermarket giant’s first major policy is to remove all plastic bags from its fruit and veg sections, which will take place at the end of the month. Instead, customers will be asked to bring their own bags or use reusable bags made from recycled bottles. Helen Bird from packaging campaign group Wrap praised Sainsbury’s sensible approach to the issue. "To achieve this they'll need significant levels of innovation,” she said. “They'll also require suppliers to come to them with fresh business models for how they can deliver products to customers in a way that will not have a significant effect on prices as well as carbon and food waste implications."

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