Sainsbury’s toilet roll tuck squeezes out carbon savings

The retailer is the first company reduce the diameter of the inner cardboard tube on every roll by 12mm, cutting the number of delivery lorries required by the equivalent of 140,000kg of CO2.

However it was quick to allay fears that consumers might be short-changed by the move. On-pack information will reassure customers that each roll contains the same number of sheets and the same quality.

“Our customers will still get the same number of sheets, but by shrinking the tube, we are able to reduce the overall package size, meaning less lorries are needed on the road to deliver the products to our stores,” said Fiona Miall, toilet roll buyer for Sainsbury’s.

She added that the relatively small packaging development would result in significant carbon savings. As part of its 20 by 20 Sustainability Plan, the retailer has pledged to reduce its own packaging by half compared to 2005 levels.

New packaging designs on Sainsbury’s own brand products have generated an 11% reduction in the past two years. The new smaller rolls are set to arrive in Sainsbury’s distribution depots this week and will hit stores across the country shortly afterwards.

Maxine Perella