It’s been week another busy week on The Grocer and in case you haven’t noticed, it’s been green! We’ve focused our efforts on sustainability matters, posting news, opinions and features every day.
The timing has certainly been fortuitous, with the new packaging tax introduced this week. Like other taxes, it’s expected to have a huge impact on growth, jobs and inflation, though the industry looks set for a battle royal over who pays and who passes on the costs. Attending the Groceries Code Adjudicator conference this week, chief reporter Ian Quinn learned how branded suppliers had been met with a ‘wall of silence’ from supermarkets – while the BRC warned that consumers would foot the bill on the own-label side.
Of course it is to be hoped that the tax also encourages supermarkets and suppliers to switch to more sustainable packaging, and to double down on building a more circular economy. One thing that seems unlikely, however, is that EPR will result any time soon in the increase in recycling facilities that both consumers and the industry desperately want. That was the other principle behind the so-called extended producer responsibility but, as with the soft drinks sugar levy, this ‘ringfenced’ objective has quickly been subverted into a crude cash grab. Or am I being cynical?
It was also fortuitous that our Green Week coincided with the IGD’s Future of Food conference, where questions over food security and sustainability went hand in hand. Inevitably there was much discussion over the role of the government and whether Defra’s new all-female ministerial team would turn this political backwater into a powerful strategic lever thanks to its important links to the Treasury. Ian Quinn has offered The Grocer’s own take. And our prolific chief reporter has also interviewed Biffa CEO Michael Topham, who doesn’t pull his punches over the government’s systemic failures.
What else? We’ve examined the industry’s progress – or otherwise – in tackling a wide range of sustainability targets and obligations. That’s included our exclusive analysis of the Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions of the UK’s biggest supermarkets by The Grocer’s new data editor Elinor Zuke. Meanwhile, features editor Dene Mullen has explored the industry’s underwhelming role in the war on wet wipes. On a more positive note, it’s great to see a food waste redistribution target being hit.
To Donald Trump, climate change is “the greatest con job” in the world. In our view, the true con is being perpetrated by the greedy politicians and businesses who wilfully turn a blind eye to its multiple repercussions.
Talking of Trump, we also responded quickly to his high-profile attack on paracetamol with exclusive research showing a worrying level of panic among pregnant UK mums-to-be in response to his discredited conspiracy theories.
Finally, a story that is definitely green but of a different hue, as we report on the astonishing fundraising that matcha brand PerfectTed has just completed. It’s been riding high on the matcha craze for a couple of years now, but even we were taken aback by the nine-digit valuation. Matcha is a bit of a Marmite product. Some take one sip and turn green. Others will be green with envy over PerfectTed’s perfect timing.
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