Independent informs that Waitrose’s trial in Oxford offering consumers certain products free of packaging was a big step. Though the system isn’t revolutionary, it’s the first time that a major supermarket has made a big move away from the packaging-dependent model that has dominated major supermarkets for years.
The existence of the supermarkets that allows consumers to shop with the health of the planet in mind should be encouraged, according to Alison Stowell, the author of the article.
The first step towards this vision is
widening the packaging-free principle to all the major supermarkets, and not
giving consumers the
option to stick with the polluting packaged goods. This means switching
to dispenser systems wherever possible – not just for peanuts and pasta, but
for things like drinks and toiletries too.
In 2016, France banned supermarkets from throwing away food and forced them to sign donation contracts with charities.
It’s true that locally grown fresh produce doesn’t automatically have a lower carbon footprint than food coming from far away fields, thanks to varying growing practices and weather conditions. For example, tomatoes imported to the UK from Spain produce lower emissions than British tomatoes, which require heated greenhouses. The solution is to reconnect our eating habits with what grows naturally in the country in which we live.
Finally, supermarkets must introduce a grading system that identifies each product’s environmental impact across its life cycle. Denmark’s government has already announced that it will work with supermarkets to place stickers on all food products that clearly indicate their carbon footprint.