- First national roll-out of innovative low-waste packaging for milk begins at Sainsbury’s – Alternative to plastic bottles and cartons will achieve a 75% reduction in milk packaging waste
British households may soon resound to the cry: “Would you mind fetching a bag of milk while you’re out?” as a revolutionary new milk packaging system is rolled out by Sainsbury’s nationally.
Sainsbury’s will become the first UK retailer to make ‘milk in a bag’ available in over 500 stores within the next year, with an initial 35 stores receiving stock on June 11. The recyclable bags, which work with a specially designed reusable jug, will reduce packaging waste by 75%.
The bags are made from very strong low density plastic material and have undergone extensive testing to ensure their durability. The milk bag fits within the reusable jug, JUGIT – which contains a spike that pierces the bag, forms a no-leak seal, and delivers milk through the spout. Initially the bags will contain whole fat (less than 4%) and semi-skimmed milk (less than 2%). One percent fat milk will be introduced in 2009.
Sainsbury’s spokesperson Emma Metcalf-King said: “Milk is the biggest selling product by unit in Sainsbury’s stores, with over 8 million litres sold every week. This is a revolution in milk packaging which potentially cuts waste by a massive 75%. Milk in a bag is an incredibly simple way for families to reduce their environmental impact.”
Britain consumes 9.3 billion pints, or 5.4 billion litres of milk every year – enough to fill more than 2,000 Olympic swimming pools.
By using the milk bag over one year, the nation’s households could save the same weight as 3,750 refuse trucks going to landfill.
Plastic milk bottles are one of the UK’s most commonly recycled products. Recent innovation in the design of cartons, with the removal of laminate coating, now makes recycling easier. As councils take an increasingly strict approach to overfilling of domestic recycling bins, reduction in waste volume will have beneficial implications for all households.
The milk bag is an established form of milk packaging – and the dominant format – in Canada, the USA and Australia.
- Ends –
Notes to Editors:
JUGIT was developed by Dairy Crest
Sainsbury’s is also considering using bags for its own brand juice and is examining alternatives to the wine box, using the same packaging technology
About Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s was established in 1869 by John James and Mary Ann Sainsbury and is Britain’s longest-standing major food retailing chain. The founders’ principles and values guide Sainsbury’s as strongly today as they did at the outset – to be the customer’s first choice for food shopping by providing high-quality products, value for money, excellent service and attention to detail. A large Sainsbury’s Supermarket offers around 30,000 products – 50% of these are Sainsbury’s own brand including fresh produce. In addition to a wide range of quality food and grocery products, many stores offer a range of complementary non-food products & services. Sainsbury’s serves over 16 million customers a week at the end of March 2007 had 788 stores throughout the UK. Nearly 60% of Sainsbury’s stores are in centre or edge-of-centre locations, many of these built on previously redundant sites. Visit www.sainsburys.co.uk for more information.
FACT SHEET
The evolution of the milk bag:
The jug is the oldest and most traditional form of milk storage. Before the development of milk bottles, milkmen filled customers’ jugs on the doorstep.
In 1880, milk bottles were first produced and delivered by horse-drawn carts several times a day. These first bottles used a porcelain stopper top held on by wire.
Following the development of pasteurisation in 1894, milk could be sterilised and safely stored for longer periods, allowing for a once-daily delivery.
The arrival of the fridge as a standard fixture in the modern home reduced Britain’s reliance on daily deliveries and the majority of milk is now purchased from supermarkets and corner shops.
The world-famous milk carton went into production in 1951 and has been a feature of supermarket shelves ever since.
More recently, the plastic bottle has been the principal method of packaging milk, enabling greater quantities to be purchased.
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