Sainsbury’s launches £10m food waste initiative
In an interesting development, Sainsbury’s has announced the launch of five-year project to tackle household food waste.
The £10m project is part of the grocer’s ‘Waste Less, Save More’ initiative and it is looking for a trial town, which will benefit from a £1m investment and become a test bed for new ideas to reduce household food waste.
Sainsbury’s said it will work together with the town to devise a year-long investment plan to test initiatives such as:
- Fridge innovations for the home to track when food is beginning to go off
- Talking bins that give tips as rubbish is put in them
- Reward programmes to encourage recycling
- New packaging to keep products fresher for longer
- Educational programmes for local schools and community centres.
Pelican Communication’s Michael Bennett commented: ‘This is an ambitious initiative from Sainsbury’s. At a time most grocery retailers are looking to cut costs the firm has clearly recognised that there is a commercial benefit to be had from demonstrating to consumers that they are serious about sustainability.’
Individuals or community groups can nominate their town to benefit from the investment, with the winner announced on 1 December 2015.
Sainsbury’s chief executive Mike Coupe, said: ‘We know that waste, and particularly food waste, is a big challenge for households across the UK and it’s something our customers really care about.
‘Investing significantly in this area clearly demonstrates the scale of our ambition over the next five years and shows just how committed we are to helping our customers make a real difference in this area.’
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