UK retailer Sainsbury’s has announced it is switching its own-brand mushroom punnets from plastic to cardboard as part of it’s “biggest ever single plastics removal”.

The supermarket said that the change would save over 775 tonnes of plastic a year, and would be rolled out across all 13 own-brand lines by the end of the month.

Currently, customers can purchase ‘by Sainsbury’s’ and ‘SO Organic’ mushrooms in cardboard punnets in all stores and online, with the change affecting Taste the Difference lines by the end of January.

Sainsbury’s said that its film packaging can still be recycled at front-of-store flexible plastics recycling points. The change comes as the retailer removed plastic trays from tomatoes in 2020 and asparagus in 2019, which it said saved around 75 and 32 tonnes of plastic a year respectively.

Claire Hughes, director of product and innovation, said: “As part of our Plan for Better commitments, we are trying to reduce plastic packaging across our own-brand ranges. We are delighted to introduce cardboard punnets for our own-brand mushrooms.

“Making a collective effort with suppliers to increasing recycled content and recyclability for all customers has helped achieve our biggest ever plastics removal so far. The initiative reflects our commitment towards a healthier and more sustainable future as we continue to look at ways to innovate our packaging and reduce and replace plastic where possible.”