Tesco's have made two press releases this month. One advising us that 100 per cent of its waste has been diverted from UK landfill a year ahead of schedule and, the second announcing a doubling of its club card points for purchases from Tesco. The two appear unrelated but they are not. One looks to make better use of waste, but not necessarily reduce it, by recycling and turning waste into electricity, the other, well, it wants you to spend more at Tesco stores, and if history repeats itself, waste more.
The point is this. It is hard being green, or sustainable, if you are wasteful or encourage waste.
Many supermarkets encourage over purchase and over consumption. Buy two, get one free, often means that at least a third of what is bought is not used and is wasted. If supermarkets are really going to show leadership, and moral leadership at that, around the environment, they need to get people thinking about eating better and less, not more and, as a result wasting less. If 30 per cent of food bought in the UK is wasted, how many carbon iunits is that. If Tescos is responsible for 25% of UK retail sales, then will they take responsibility for their share of that waste? They should, shouldn't they? This might seem tough on Tesco's but they are afterall in a position to influence and lead.
