Marks & Spencer will be the first grocery chain to adopt new pack sealing technology that can cut packaging waste by 10%.

The Integrity Seal will be used for M&S's entire salad range and is expected to be on products in-store by the end of the summer.

Other multiples are also working with their fresh produce suppliers to test the packaging on lines of salad, fruit and vegetable snacks and confectionery.

The technology, developed with support from the Waste and Resources Action Programme's £8m innovation fund, welds the bags shut leaving a 1mm seam rather than using the usual crimping technique, which leaves a much wider flange of waste plastic along each seam.

Helene Roberts, head of packaging for M&S, said: "The new technology enables us to reduce the amount of packaging we use, which helps us to lessen our impact on the environment as well as save on packaging costs."

Trials of the system show that, as well as cutting the packaging on products, it actually improves the seal on the pack and can extend the product's shelf life.

M&S has been able to raise the shelf life of some of its salads from five days, under the standard crimped seal, to eight days using the new seal.

Roberts said that M&S customers also preferred the look of the new packaging in trials.

"It benefits our customers as our salad packaging not only looks better but it helps the product stay fresher for a longer period."

If it is used in conjunction with thinner plastic film, total packaging savings can amount to 25%, said WRAP project manager Andrew Parry, though M&S has not opted for this yet.

"This new technology could be applied across a wide range of packs, from salad and snack bags to ­cosmetics and DIY products," he said. "It has the potential to divert a substantial amount of packaging material and food waste from landfill."

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