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Waitrose replaces small glass wine bottles with cans in bid to cut carbon

Posted on January 16, 2023 by dishanth

The supermarket chain, owned by the John Lewis Partnership, announced the change this week. Customers will begin seeing the wine lines in the new packaging from Sunday (15 January).

A total of 19 small wine lines are set to be housed in aluminium cans rather than glass bottles. Waitrose claims that the move will reduce the weight of its wine packaging used annually by 320 tonnes, while also reducing carbon emissions across the value chain.

As the cans are lighter than the bottles, transport emissions are set to be reduced. Emissions reductions are also expected in the upstream value chain. Waitrose’s own life cycle analyses have concluded that an aluminium can will create less than half the amount of CO2e across its lifecycle than equivalent glass bottles.

The new cans can be recycled in with household mixed recycling collections. Aluminium is regarded as an infinitely recyclable material; unlike plastics, the quality of the material does not decrease when it is mechanically recycled.

For these environmental reasons, and for reasons relating to cost and convenience, Waitrose has already moved to canned formats for products including craft beers and cocktails.

Waitrose’s beer, wine and spirit bulk sourcing manager Barry Dick said he hopes the move in the wine aisle will “encourage suppliers to continue to develop a diverse and exciting range of wines in cans”.

Waitrose is notably working towards a 2035 net-zero target for its entire value chain. The John Lewis Partnership moved its 2050 target forward by 15 years back in October 2020. It subsequently joined the UN-backed Race to Zero campaign. John Lewis Partnership is planning to set verified science-based climate targets covering emissions from all scopes, including Scope 3 (indirect) emissions in the supply chain, in the coming months.

Tackling vape waste

The news on the wine packaging comes shortly after Waitrose announced a decision to end sales of single-use vaping products. The retailer had already implemented a ban on sales of single-use vape pens but built upon this by delisting imitation cigarettes.

Waitrose said in a statement that it was concerned about the appeal of single-use vapes to young consumers and about the environmental impact of the products, which contain plastic and lithium and are often littered. Previous research from Material Focus revealed that at least 1.3 million disposable vapes are thrown away in the UK every week – equivalent to two every second. Recycling systems do not yet exist for these products.

Source edie

Waitrose and Muller to scrap coloured caps on milk bottles in recycling trial

Posted on March 9, 2022 by dishanth

Waitrose has partnered with Muller to scrap coloured caps on milk bottles as part of a plastic recycling trial.

The supermarket chain will sell Muller products with clear caps on their bottles, which can be recycled into food-grade packaging, unlike the usual blue, green and red lids.

The businesses estimate that this could increase the availability of recyclable plastic, high-density polyethylene (rHDPE) on the market by 1,560 tonnes a year.

The trial will take place at all 331 Waitrose stores between April 4 and 30, following a successful in-house trial, they added.

Research conducted by Muller found that the majority of shoppers support the change, with 80% telling the brand they would choose a bottle with a recyclable clear cap over a coloured cap.

Liam McNamara, commercial director at Muller Milk & Ingredients, said: “Everyone is thinking more about what they buy, the nutritional benefits, the value it represents and the packaging used.

“We want to be the partner of choice for our customers, we recognise the commitments they are making in this area, and following a successful trial period, then this is another step we can offer.

“As the first dairy company in the UK to trial clear caps on fresh milk, we are working hard to innovate and lead in issues that are not only important for customers, but for consumers too.”

Karen Graley, packaging innovation lead at Waitrose, said: “As food businesses, we need to do more to protect our planet from unnecessary plastic waste so we’re delighted to be involved in this trial.”

Waitrose and Lidl top list of eco-friendly supermarkets

Posted on February 7, 2022 by dishanth

Waitrose and Lidl are the most sustainable supermarkets, according to a Which?’s eco-friendly grocer ranking.

Iceland finished last, according to the research, which tracked supermarket policies on: plastic waste and food waste, which shoppers have reported are the biggest issues for them; and greenhouse gas emissions, which most experts say poses the greatest environmental threat.

In its first such ranking, the consumer magazine pointed out that supermarkets respond to customer demand, so if shoppers make eco-friendly choices and demand sustainable options, this can influence shops to improve.

Harry Rose, editor of Which?, said: “We know that consumers increasingly want to shop sustainably and our in-depth analysis of three key areas shows that all the big supermarkets could be looking to make some improvements.

“The good news is shoppers can make a big difference themselves by adopting more sustainable habits, such as buying loose fruit and vegetables, buying seasonal local produce, eating less meat and dairy and limiting their own food waste.”

Lidl performed above its rivals on greenhouse gas emissions but fell short on food waste, though it said this is because it serves more fresh food in-store than many other comparable shops.

Waitrose has strong policies on plastic and food waste compared with other supermarkets, and scored reasonably for greenhouse gas emissions.

Iceland fell short because it was unable to report how much of its own-brand plastic is recyclable, so scored zero points. It also faces disadvantages as a frozen food specialist, as this made it the worst performer on operational greenhouse gas emissions due to its energy-draining in-store freezers. However, it does buy 100% renewable electricity for its UK sites.

Marks & Spencer was found to use a lot of plastic compared with other supermarkets. It was also the only one unable to provide its food waste data in a comparable format, so scored zero points for this, and was in the bottom half of Which?’s table for emissions.

For plastic use, the Co-op did best, while Ocado was the frontrunner in terms of food waste, as it redistributes almost all surplus food, leaving just 0.04% as waste.

Which?’s ranking of supermarkets’ green measures

1. Lidl – 74%
1. Waitrose – 74%
3. Asda – 71%
3. Sainsbury’s – 71%
5. Tesco – 69%
6. Morrisons – 68%
7. Aldi – 66%
8. Co-op – 65%
9. Ocado – 63%
10. Marks & Spencer – 48%
11. Iceland – 29%

Source Guardian

Food and drink giants urge UK government to strengthen deforestation laws

Posted on October 6, 2020 by dishanth

Firms including Tesco, Nestle and Waitrose want UK government proposals expanded to encompass all deforestation, not just that defined as illegal

More than 20 major supermarkets, food manufacturers and restaurant chains have called on the UK government to strengthen plans to tackle deforestation in supply chains, urging ministers to expand proposed restrictions to encompass all deforestation, not just that which has been defined as illegal.

Proposed new legislation announced in August would see UK firms fined for using products sourced from illegally cleared land in the tropics, in a bid to tackle deforestation worldwide fuelled by the supply chains of British companies.

The government’s proposals would see large companies operating in the UK obligated to show where forest risk commodities including cocoa, soy, rubber and leather, originate. It would then be illegal to use products that fail to comply with laws to protect nature in those origin nations.

But in an open letter released today – which comes as a government consultation on the proposed new deforesation law comes to a close – firms including Tesco, Nestle, Greencore and Waitrose warn current provisions are “not currently envisioned to be enough to halt deforestation”, and are urging the government to expand the restrictions.

“Restricting action to illegal deforestation only would not achieve halting the loss of these natural ecosystems, especially when producing country governments have discretion to decide what is legal or have inadequate enforcement mechanisms, and local land title and clearance records can be unreliable or absent,” states the letter.

Among the 22 signatories to the letter are a host of supermarkets such as Asda, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer; livestock producers Moy Park and Pilgrim’s Pride; as well as restaurant chains McDonald’s and Nando’s.

Chris Brown, sustainable sourcing director at Asda, said he welcomed the government’s moves to combat supply chain deforestation, but that the current plans “will not do enough to protect the fragile ecosystems that will reduce the risk of catastrophic climate change”.

“We can’t solve this problem on our own and we need legislation that ensures comprehensive and standardised reporting up and down the supply chain, alongside incentives for suppliers who move towards more environmentally-responsible production,” he said.

Recent decades have seen deforestation become a major global driver of climate change and biodiversity loss, particularly in tropical regions. World Bank statistics suggest 1.3 million square kilometres of forest were lost between 1990 and 2016, an area bigger than South Africa. As a result, deforestation is estimated to be responsible for around 11 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The vast majority of clearances are undertaken to make space for agricultural commodities, whether to create plantations for soy, oil palm, cocoa or rubber, or pasture for beef and leather. Numerous studies have shown the huge role played by UK and EU consumers in driving deforestation, with EU’s own calculations estimating that its demand (along with that of the UK) lies behind 10 per cent of global deforestation.

Numerous studies have traced these connections: last week, an investigation by British NGO Earthsight exposed how leather from illegally cleared land in Paraguay inhabited by one of the world’s last uncontacted tribes is entering the supply chains of some of Europe’s biggest auto firms, including BMW and Jaguar Land Rover.

A spokesperson for the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the government commended the business community’s leadership on seeking to combat climate change, but argued illegal deforestation accounted for around half of global deforestation, and that if Brazil’s existing forest laws were properly enforced it could increase forest cover by 10 per cent.

“The UK government is committed to tackling deforestation, and the consultation we have launched to introduce a due diligence requirement is just one part of a much bigger package of measures that the government is taking,” Defra said in a statement. “We look forward to continued dialogue with UK businesses who are using these commodities in their supply chains, including through the Soy and Palm Roundtables, which we actively support.”

By Toby Hill

Source: Business Green