Sustainability
Walmart Steps Up Forest Conservation Efforts
For more than 15 years, Walmart has collaborated with others to drive positive impact across global supply chains. They are on a path to becoming a more regenerative company that works to restore, renew, and replenish, in addition to conserving nature. Part of meeting that goal is found in how they treat the world’s forests. Healthy forests help sustain biodiversity, support livelihoods, and play an important role in combatting climate change by naturally sequestering carbon dioxide. But deforestation continues to occur at an alarming rate. According to the World Resources Institute, the planet lost the equivalent of a soccer field of primary rainforest
TreeHouse Publishes Inaugural Environmental, Social & Governance Report
TreeHouse Foods announced today that it has published its 2020 Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Report, which builds on the private brand manufacturer's previous Sustainability reports, and highlights their accomplishments and the ways in which it is enabling progress and sustainable growth in the communities it serves. The report also addresses TreeHouse's goals for the next four years around Environmental, Social & Governance issues. In conjunction, the Company also launched a dedicated section of its corporate website to inform stakeholders about its ESG efforts. Steve Oakland, Chief Executive Officer and President "The events of this year, from the
Tesco cuts plastic from its Christmas range
British retailer Tesco has removed over 20 million pieces of plastic from this year’s Christmas private brand range. Crackers, lights, cards, and puddings (desserts) have all been produced using less single-use plastic: Tesco’s private brand crackers are plastic-free for the first time – they will include non-plastic presents and are now sold without plastic in cardboard packaging. This cuts over 14 million pieces of plastic from the seasonal range. 312,000 Christmas lights will instead be sold in recyclable cardboard packaging. Packs of Christmas cards are now free from plastic: multipacks of cards are now sold in a recyclable cardboard box
Amazon Bans Toxic Chemicals & Plastics in Food Packaging
Late last week Amazon announced that it will ban certain toxic chemicals and plastics in the food packaging materials used for its Amazon Kitchen private brand. Toxic chemicals PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), phthalates, BPA (bisphenol A) and other bisphenols, and the plastics polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), and expanded polystyrene (EPS) are now restricted in certain private label food contact materials. Amazon’s new commitment is the latest update to the chemicals policy it first launched in 2018, which also restricts toxic chemicals in private-label baby, household cleaning, personal care, and beauty products as well as brand-name paint-removal products. Amazon’s new restricted substance
Lidl Launches the First U.S. Private Brand Chocolate Bar that Helps Cocoa Farmers
December 16, discount grocer Lidl US will introduce the first and only US private brand chocolate bar that contributes to a living income for cocoa farmers. Known as Way To Go!, Lidl’s new chocolate bar uses 100% traceable and sustainable Fairtrade cocoa sourced from the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative in Ghana. Way To Go! guarantees that farmers at the cooperative receive at least the Fairtrade Minimum Price for cocoa and the Fairtrade Premium, an extra sum of money for farmers to invest in their farms and communities. Additionally, Lidl has partnered with Fairtrade to pay an innovative second premium for every
ALDI UK LAUNCHES 100% RECYCLABLE PRIVATE BRAND CEREAL PACKAGING
Aldi UK is introducing 100% recyclable packaging for its own-brand boxed cereal. The UK’s fifth-largest supermarket will replace the plastic inner bags holding the cereal with a recyclable alternative before the end of this year. The change will replace approximately 650 tons of non-recyclable plastic annually – the equivalent to the amount of packaging used by more than 10,000 UK households in a year. It is part of Aldi’s pledge for all of its private brand packaging to be recyclable, compostable or re-usable by the end of 2022, and for all packaging to be so by 2025. Chris McKenry, Plastics
Waitrose Relaunches ECOlogical Private Brand
Waitrose is relaunching ECOlogical - its eco-friendly household cleaning private brand range - with packaging improvements that will save an estimated 4.1 tons of virgin plastic a year. The line of 17 naturally derived products, made exclusively in the UK, will see Waitrose use innovative recovered and recycled ‘Ocean Bound Plastic’ in some of the product packaging. Ocean Bound Plastic is a recycled raw material made from plastic waste that is at risk of ending up in the oceans. Vegan and Vegetarian friendly, and compliant with the Leaping Bunny scheme, the products contain a minimum of 98% naturally derived ingredients,
Co-op wraps up the year with plastic and glitter free Private Brand
UK grocer Co-op is removing plastic as well as glitter from its entire Christmas celebration range, cutting out 1.1 million pieces (eight tons) of plastic. The move applies to all of the retailer’s private brand Christmas cards, gift wrap, and bags and crackers, in a bid to reduce single-use plastics. The retailer has also switched the toys in its private brand crackers to fun games and gifts made from recyclable materials such as metal and paper, removing 470,000 pieces of plastic (1.35 tons) alone. In addition and to further its commitments, all of Co-op’s Christmas cards, wrap, crackers, and gift bags
Retailers Eye Sustainability as Multi-Year Journey
Private Brand retailers are making progress in advancing sustainability, but they recognize that success takes time. A panel of retailers at the My Private Brand Sustainability Summit discussed industry efforts ranging from packaging changes to supply chain transparency. They emphasized the importance of taking the time to achieve results that will last. “The work will be ongoing,” said Steven Jennings, Stakeholder Relations and Brand Lead, Health & Sustainability, Ahold Delhaize US/Giant. “It’s nice to have a five-year plan, but it is 10- to 20-years out that we especially want to look at. We need to continue to adapt to changing
Carrefour Commits To Sustainable Private Brand Clothing
Committed to more sustainable and responsible fashion, French retailer Carrefour committed that by 2030, 100% of the products in their TEX private brand will be made of sustainable and traceable natural raw materials. The commitments are now displayed in-store in new “responsible TEX” signage: stickers, photos, educational posters, etc. Carrefour’s actions include: 100% sustainable and traceable natural raw materials by 2030 The origin of the raw materials is attested by certified and recognized labels (OEKO-TEX, GOTS, FSC). Today, nearly a thousand references from the private brand TEX textile range already guarantee that the raw materials are durable and traceable, from the
