Not so Sustainable

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Coca-Cola, Nestle and Mars fail to look after the farmers producing the raw materials they rely on every day to make a big fat profit. Associated British Food (ABF) received the lowest rating with 13 out of 70 points. They produce goods such as Silver Spoon Sugar, Ovaltine and Kingsmill. Shockingly, the cereal shelf favorite Kellogg’s was also pretty poor, scoring 16 out of 70.

These rating are based on how their production impacts the local community, the environment and the welfare of the smallholders at the bottom of the pile. So, how and what are they tested on?

As part of their ‘Behind the Brands’ campaign, Oxfam measure the ‘big 10’ brands in seven categories. 

These categories are:
·         Transparency of their supply chains and general operations
·         How they ensure the rights of workers
·         How they protect women’s rights
·         Their management of water
·         Their management of land
·         Their policies to reduce the impact of climate change
·         How they ensure the rights of the smallholders growing their ingredients

How all of the Big 10 fared

What confuses me is that, when asked to comment on their poor ratings, big companies such as coca-cola recited something as fleetingly satisfying as the very drink they are famed for. The trigger words are rife. ‘Sustainable…..sustainable…..sustainable’.  The meaning of this word has been debated for years. I acknowledge that Oxfam and Coca-cola will have varying ideas on just how ‘to-the-letter’ production can be, however it seems as though the ‘big 10’ have to readdress their definition of sustainability if these results are anything to go by.

In the treatment of women category, the management of land and its climate change policies, ABF scored just 1 out of 10. At a time when the British food industry is suffering from the horsemeat backlash, Oxfam have definitely struck whilst the iron is hot.

Check out the Oxfam - ‘Behind the Brands’campaign here. 

Have A Cracking Good Easter!

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 It’s finally spring, and at Green Achiever we are looking to the remaining year ahead. With yesterday’s budget announced, it can be argued that the outcome on the government’s incentives for environmental sustainability is pretty negative. The guardian’s Damian Carrington’s sums up the 2012 budget in his Environment Blog here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/damian-carrington-blog/2012/mar/21/environment-budget-2012-osborne-planning?newsfeed=true 

 So it’s nearing the end of March and with Easter just around the corner; I thought I’d share some of my tasty Easter treats and info with you all.

 When researching the most popular Easter Egg brands, both Nestle and Cadbury seem to be taking the environment into great consideration when designing their Easter Egg packaging.

 This is fantastic news for the environment, as approximately 80 million chocolate eggs are sold in the UK at Easter which generates around 4,370 tonnes of card and 160 tonnes of foil waste. Most of the plastic packaging used is still not recyclable yet, which means it will end up in landfills.

 So this Easter why not make a card out of recycled card and personalise it for that special someone, or even an amusing e-card.

NESTLE

Nestlé Go The ‘Eggstra’ Mile for Easter with 100% Recyclable Eggs

Today, Nestlé UK & Ireland is the first major confectioner to announce its entire Easter egg packaging is 100% recyclable by replacing rigid plastic with cardboard in its mug eggs.

With Easter eggs creating 3,000 tonnes of UK waste each year*, the manufacturer of SMARTIES®, KIT KAT® and AERO® Easter eggs, has become the first major confectioner to remove plastic packaging from all its eggs – the culmination of a six year process that has saved 726 tonnes of plastic waste going to landfill per year**.

http://www.nestle.co.uk/media/pressreleases/Pages/NestleGoTheEggstraMileforEaster.aspx 

CADBURY

Supporting our environment at easter

In 2008, we launched the award winning Eco Egg range; yummy Easter eggs wrapped simply in foil. The range includes Cadbury Treasure Eggs, with a 68% reduction in packaging and the Cadbury Egg Heads, with a 39% reduction.

We have also been reducing the amount of packaging used in our Medium, Large and Giant boxed Easter Eggs ranges.  For example, we now use 40% less packing for our Medium boxed eggs.Our Easter packaging reductions across the range to date have enabled us to remove over 2,290 Cadbury lorry loads from the road.

We also continue to work with the National Trust on Easter Egg Trails that support family time together. Since 2008, there have been 2.9 million attendees to the National Trust & Cadbury Egg Trails. For more information, visit www.eastereggtrails.com

http://www.cadbury.co.uk/cadburyandchocolate/OurCommitments/Environmental%20Commitments/Pages/EnvironmentalCommitments.aspx

For information on exciting gift ideas and more information on how to have a green Easter, visit HERE