Asda
Asda started its first sustainable store trial in Leeds last week. The new sustainable store focusses on plastic reduction, having removed plastic from 29 fresh product lines and removing plastic packaging on multipack canned goods. On top of the plastic packaging reduction, the new store also has a completely waste free refill section, where shoppers can buy loose dried food, such as grains, pasta, coffee beans and oats. There is also wet refill for products like laundry detergent, shower gel, cordial, and shampoo.
The shop also has an extended recycling area for recycling more complex waste and second-hand clothes drop off. Hopefully, the trial is successful, and the sustainable store will be run more widely throughout the UK.
Felix
Another eco store, this time it’s Swedish food brand Felix. The food giant has opened a store in which the products are priced not by their cost to produce but by the carbon footprint of the item. All customers are also limited to a Carbon emissions budget and cannot buy products that total more than 18.9kg of Co2 emissions.
This is all in an attempt to educate customers as to the carbon footprint of food items they buy every week. By putting a tangible price on items, it makes carbon emissions more understandable and harder to ignore.
Arbikie Distillery
A Scottish distillery is making moves with a climate positive vodka, that claims to make carbon savings overall in the vodka production. Arbikie Distillery claims to make a saving of 1.53kg of Co2 emissions of 700ml. So, what’s their secret? Peas! Arbikie is making leaps and bounds toward sustainable distilling by using peas to make their vodka and gin. They say peas are key to their sustainability due to their positive by-products and a lower reliance on fertilisers to grow.
Tesco
Tesco is the first UK supermarket who has made sales targets for the sale of meat-free alternatives. Along with its charity partner WWF the supermarket has said it will commit to a sales increase of 300% of plant-based alternatives by 2025 by way to halve the environmental damage of UK’s food shops.
Tesco’s own plant-based range ‘wicked kitchen’ will be introducing 11 new dishes this week and going forward will continue to add to its meat free range with more ready meals, Christmas dishes, and party food.
Morrisons and Waitrose
Finally, ending with more supermarket news we have Morrisons and Waitrose & Partners who have committed to removing glitter from their own brand single use Christmas stock including, cards, wrapping paper, gift bags, and plants. Glitter is made of tiny plastic particles and in a movement to reduce Christmas pollution and plastic waste the two supermarkets are taking action.
This seemingly small environmental decision will have a very large impact on plastic waste this Christmas as Morrisons have said that in making this decision it will avoid 50 tonnes of plastic from its shelves during the Christmas period.