Three major environmental commitments to take in consideration in 2019. We should all consider that the damage we are inflicting on the planet has begun to hit home to all of us over the past five years.
The issue of plastic in our oceans, which was highlighted so brilliantly by the BBC’s award-winning Blue Planet programme, has changed the game. Not only, school children are now aware of the damage a single plastic straw can do, but brands have come to realise that being environmentally friendly must be at the heart of everything they do.
Three major environmental commitments: where we are
Debenhams have been at the heart of that push. In 2018, 97% of their waste was diverted away from landfill. The company also has a no animal testing policy and no-fur policy. Shoppers are also becoming more discerning, choosing brands which are open about their sustainable commitments and that is further incentivising companies to make sure they are doing more than their rivals to consider the environment.
Every industry is looking at what they can do, with fashion, beauty and the large food-retailers particularly under pressure from environmental groups. Here we look at three major commitments from brands and assess the impact.
1. McDonald’s straws
Famously, the fast-food chain used an extraordinary 1.8m plastic straws per day. In the face of growing public pressure, the company moved away from single-use plastic items in 2018 and replaced their plastic straws with paper ones in all UK and Ireland restaurants. Items such as plastic straws can take centuries to decompose if they are not recycled. Other food and drink retailers have since followed suit, with Wetherspoon pubs banning all plastic straws and Pizza Express also moving towards biodegradable straws.
2. Zoggs swimsuits
Zoggs are a familiar name to most parents with children who swim. They make swimsuits, goggles and floats among many other items. But few parents will know that Zoggs recently made a move to become more environmentally sustainable and have committed to using some pretty unexpected materials. The company said it will now use industrial waste, abandoned fishing nets and discarded carpets to make their swimwear, as part of the launch of their new Ecolast swimwear. Zoggs has also pledged to make its packaging 100% sustainable by next year.
3. Supermarkets race to be sustainable
It is the new watchword in the world of supermarkets – sustainability. Experts claim UK supermarkets could be responsible for almost 1 million tonnes of plastic waste every single year. No wonder then, that many chains have made commitments to do better. But how are they getting on? Morrisons has promised to make all its packaging recyclable by 2025 while Asda says they have removed 6,500 tonnes of plastic from their own-brand packing since 2018. Tesco has said they will not use any packaging that cannot be recycled by the end of 2019 and want to make all packing completely recyclable by 2025. What is clear is that the supermarkets still have some way to go. But their commitment to do something is a start and reflects the desire of many brands to do better.
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