Here is the finished feature in the style of the National Geographic!
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Are supermarkets doing enough for our children?
Greenwashing or genuine intent: How are supermarkets adapting their operations to comply with new rules made at COP26?
Considering the recent COP26 meeting in Scotland all UK firms have been asked to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. This may seem a long way away but sustainability experts are urging that we need to take action now, globally to save our planet for future generations.
UK supermarkets have a big impact on our sustainability rating with emissions within the supply chain making up a third of our carbon footprint.
In light of this, supermarkets have been adjusting their operations to meet new climate change goals. Many supermarkets have brought their year goal forward, promising to reduce carbon emissions, deforestation as well as the food waste and packaging they produce. For instance, Morrisons have claimed all their farms will be net zero by 2030. Net zero, also known as ‘carbon neutrality’ refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC), a trade association for retail businesses in the United Kingdom, has partnered with many of the major supermarkets to produce a roadmap which should guide them on a path to net zero by 2040. Sophie DeSalis, Communications Executive at the BRC said: “The target is 2040 completely, but within that we have early milestones with our signatories, with our plan split into pathways because they're all at different stages.”
There are five pathways which the BRC have identified to help build a fairer, more sustainable economy. This includes the use of technology and data to ensure retailers optimise operations and improve energy efficiency in buildings. They also use sustainable logistics which make sure there's little use of carbon, sourcing sustainably and green consumers which makes sure that retailers are helping their customers shop sustainably, whether that’s signposting or refillable stations or recycling systems in stores.
DeSalis claims the biggest issues in supermarkets relate to the supply chain which sits with pathway three, low carbon logistics. “The supermarkets are the face, but behind that you've got the producers, the people transporting it, the packaging. So that's where there's a huge amount of emissions being produced. It’s about collaborating with the best suppliers, and making sure that the suppliers, suppliers are committing to these standards and ensuring that it's broken down and it’s net zero.”
These plans seem positive, however Greenpeace has accused many major supermarkets of greenwashing their campaigns. Greenwashing is the misleading act of companies or other organisations trying to promote unjustified environmentally friendly practices through their branding. This can be seen when major fashion retailers started using recycled polyester which turned out to be just as damaging to the environment. Although, in September this year the governed C v which prevented companies from greenwashing campaigns. DeSalis from the BRC said: “I think there's a huge effort not to greenwash and there is real commitment by our supermarkets to get to net zero and join the sustainable journey.”
Going as far as accusing the supermarkets of greenwashing, Heather McKay, is a policy advisor from Third Generation Environmentalism, also known as E3G, a climate change think tank operating to accelerate a global transition to a low-carbon future. She believes that supermarkets are not doing enough, thus far, stating that supermarkets are “huge sources of not only emissions in terms of growth, but also food waste.”
She added: “I don't think we've at all tackled the food waste problem, which not only has a climatic impact, but also environmental impact, too. Any company that has made a net zero commitment and hasn't started to act on that is quite right to accuse them of greenwashing.”
In light of the COP26 conference marches have been taking place all over the country to raise awareness on climate change. Many activists at the Global Day For Climate Justice rally in Dorset in November spoke about what they think supermarkets should do in aid of climate sustainability.
Environmental activist, Joey Ellis from Essex, conveyed his belief that greenwashing is still seen in supermarket campaigns. “I feel supermarkets are only now trying to make a change due to the pressure from consumers and governments. It’s such a trending topic to be sustainable and care about the environment so it's not surprising that now they suddenly care.”
Another activist at the march, Jessie Candau from Cologne, Germany expressed that supermarkets are lacking in their willingness to change. She said: “I really don’t think as a whole they’re doing enough. Of course, some supermarkets have been trialing the use of refillable stations and plastic free packaging but it’s not coming soon enough. By 2021 you would have thought all supermarkets in the UK would stop using plastic bags for loose fruit and veg but that’s not the case.”
Candau went on to mention that she was shocked that the supermarkets in the UK still relied heavily on single use plastic. “In Germany almost all of the fruit and veg is loose, which we must put in a paper bag or our reusable bags from home.”
Michael French from Grounded Community, a charity who
redistribute food surplus from supermarkets for the community in need was also at the march. He believes that it’s not down to the supermarkets but to the consumer. He believes there should be a change in consumer habits, he said: “Supermarkets existence is part of the problem but that's our doing, we've chosen to shop like that. I don't really think the conclusions lie in their decisions, they lie in our decisions of where we shop and how we choose to be rather than what they choose to do and they will follow suit, they will bend to what the consumer wants.”
McKay also thinks that consumers have a vital role in aiding the earth to net zero. “Companies and politicians answer to us, so consumers can make it very clear through their purchasing power, what products and expectations they have from supermarkets as to their behavior on climate. Where possible, I think people should be making more climate friendly choices with their spending. Consumers should be eating less meat if possible.”
Despite working with the supermarkets, DeSalis believes it is mainly down to them to make a change for the consumer to be on board. Futera, an international sustainability strategy and creative agency, stated in their survey that 88% of consumers want to make better choices in aid of the environment but 40% think that these sustainable choices are too expensive.
DeSalis continues: “Both retailers and consumers want to be sustainable, it's just making sure that it's cost efficient, as the cheapest option tends not to be the sustainable one. So, the earnest is on retail to bring the prices down, but that involves governments making sure that the costs are mitigated, and the Greener Option is the cheaper option.”
There are, of course, environmentally conscious food choices in supermarkets such as vegan options however McKay believes there should be more done in the way of stocking products that are contributing to net zero which encourages the consumer to make these better environmental choices. “If your company is trying to get to net zero, you shouldn't be selling products that actively contribute to this deforestation. I think it's also important to remember the interplay between the environment and climate. Things like environmental degradation through unsustainable packaging is a major area for companies to think about.”
Supermarkets in the UK have increased their availability of vegan options in their stores with Iceland reporting that their sales of plant-based food has gone up 10% since last year. Yet McKay still believes there is more room for growth in the plant based dietary choice. “I haven't seen that same level of product availability in the UK versus in other countries I've been to. I think that supermarkets and consumers can work together to bring out new products to demonstrate demand and bring new products such as Quorn mince versus traditional mince.”
Barney, an environmental activist from Bournemouth thinks that there should be more in the way of signposting foods with information on their effects on the environment. He said: “We've got nutrition labels on all food saying how much salt, sugar and fat is in it. How about a climate traffic light system as well to say that this is red meat, it came from South America, an area which has been deforested to produce grazing grounds. Therefore, this is red. Whereas this bread has much less of a carbon footprint so it's green. We need a traffic light system so that we know what we're getting.”
The idea of signposting foods in a similar way as the nutritional labels but for environmental standards has been a popular demand from consumers. This would be a large-scale initiative for supermarkets to uphold but a very welcomed one. DeSalis from the BRC concluded that this is something to come, “Obviously, that's not possible for now, but maybe in the future that could happen.”
There are clearly steps towards saving the planet for future generations but the question is, will this be enough to really make a difference? Let’s hope they mean what they say. As Greta Thunberg said: “The eyes of all future generations are upon you, and if you choose to fail us, I say, we will never forgive you.”