Supermarket giant Tesco and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) partnered to slash packaging waste and half the environmental impact of the average UK shopping basket.
It comes as frozen foods rival Iceland announced it would ensure all of its own-brand products are free of palm oil by the end of 2018 because of concerns surrounding its impact on rainforests.
The move has gained much public support after Iceland’s banned animated advert highlighting the issue went viral in the UK.
Meanwhile, Tesco’s plan will focus on three key areas:
- Promoting sustainable diets;
- Restoring nature in food production; and
- Eliminating food and packaging waste.
The partnership with WWF comes as new research by the two organisations reveals that demand for sustainable food is high, with almost 80% of shoppers saying supermarkets should do more to offer food sourced in a responsible, sustainable way.
However, it also showed there are still obstacles, with confusion over which foods count as ‘sustainable’ and 75% of shoppers saying cost is a barrier.
New solutions
Dave Lewis, Tesco Group chief executive said the retailer hoped to develop “innovative solutions”.
“Partnering with WWF will help us make our customers’ shopping baskets more sustainable. Our shared ambition is to reduce the environmental impact of the average shopping basket by half.
“By working with farmers, suppliers, colleagues and other experts we hope to develop innovative solutions so shoppers can put affordable, tasty food on their plates today, confident they are not compromising the future of food for generations to come.”
Tanya Steele, WWF UK chief executive officer, said: “Our flagship Living Planet Report 2018 recently revealed that the world is under threat like never before – we’re destroying forests, choking the oceans with plastic, decimating wildlife and causing devastating changes to our climate.
“And it’s the demand for food that poses one of the biggest dangers to our planet. It’s the leading cause of deforestation, destroying habitats and threatening wildlife to the point of extinction.
“We have the power to not only stop but to reverse the damage if we act now.”
