Sainsbury's has announced that its basics tinned chopped tomatoes are to be sold in cartons rather than cans, reducing packaging by half a million kilos per year. Basics tinned chopped tomatoes are the highest selling non-fresh item in the store, making this the first time cartons have been used for tinned items at large volumes.

This is the latest innovation in the supermarket's basics range, which is it aims to make the country's most environmentally responsible brands. The switch will go some way towards helping the supermarket achieve its target of reducing packaging by a third by 2015. This move alone will reduce carbon emissions by 156 tonnes per year.

Stuart Lendrum, Sainsbury's head of packaging, said: "This type of carton is a strong challenger to the traditional tin can in many ways, and may well pose a threat to its dominance over the coming years.

"Packaging basics chopped tomatoes this way will make life easier for customers as they will take up less space in cupboards, while at the same time, the environmental impact of those tomatoes will be a lot lower. Also, as they can be packed more tightly, more will fit onto a lorry meaning fewer journeys are required to move them around the country."