Food waste has been an issue for many years. Over consumption and the increase in ‘buy one get one free’ offers at many supermarkets make it all too easy for some of our weekly shop to end up in the bin. According to the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, we throw away 8.3 million tonnes of food from our homes every year in the UK. If we stopped wasting food, it would not only save us money, it would reduce our impact on the climate, the equivalent of taking 1 in 4 cars off the road.

Supermarkets themselves are hardly blameless, an estimated 20 to 40% of UK fruit and vegetables rejected even before they reach the shops – mostly because they do not match the supermarkets' excessively strict cosmetic standards. The Feeding of the 5,000 event in Trafalgar Square this month highlights this; it uses “cosmetically imperfect” food items for meals that would otherwise have ended up in the bin.

More needs to be done to educate consumers about how to use leftovers so they don’t end up in the bin. Supermarkets should move away from only selling perfect looking products, stop wasting fruit and vegetables that do not fit their criteria and focus on educating consumers about food waste and leftovers. The increasing pressure on land and water in coming years will have an impact on food prices, meaning that using leftovers and reusing food waste will become essential, not just a choice.

Nicole Clucas is a Senior Researcher at Corporate Citizenship and Editor of Corporate Citizenship Briefing. Contact her at nicole.clucas@corporate-citizenship.com to discuss strategy, stakeholder engagement and environment.

Global consumers voice demand for greater corporate responsibility

A recent survey released by Cone Communications and Echo Research has found that ten thousand consumers in major countries around the world are demanding a higher level of responsibility by companies in dealing with societal issues, and consumers report they are already using their own spending and loyalty to press these demands. Key findings include: 81% of consumers say companies have a responsibility to address key social and environmental issues beyond their local communities, 94% of consumers are likely to switch brands to one that supports a cause if both brands are similar in price and quality and, if given the opportunity 94% would buy a product that has an environmental benefit and 315 of consumers say the most important way a company should address social and environmental issues is to change the way it operates.

Contact: Cone Communications
www.coneinc.com

Echo Research
www.echoresearch.com

P&G announces new social and environmental commitments

Procter & Gamble has unveiled three new commitments to touch and improve the lives of millions of families around the world at this year’s Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). P&G has committed to working with humanitarian agencies, retail partners and an energy efficiency organization to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus by 2015 through the Pampers/UNICEF “1 pack = 1 vaccine” campaign. P&G will also reach 100 million US households by Earth Day 20123 to convert them to cold water washing in partnership with the Alliance to Save Energy, and through its Tide brand and Future Friendly conservation education campaign. Thirdly, the company will provide more than 300 million liters of clean drinking water to 2 million people affected by the drought and famine in East Africa through the P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program and its partners.

Contact: P&G
www.pg.com/sustainability.

Benetton, River Island and TK Maxx among the least ethical clothes shops

Ethical Consumer has recently released its latest buyers’ guide to high street clothes shops surveying 30 companies, which finds nine companies; including River Island, Benetton and TK Maxx are among those companies unable to demonstrate they had any policies in place to protect workers’ rights or the environment. The top three performing companies were New Look, Ann Harvey and Mango, with Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s Tu coming in the bottom three. The buyers' guide also surveyed the ethical and environmental record of over 20 independent clothing companies. The top three performing companies were Gossypium, Liv and Bishopston Trading. The report finds that progress within the fashion industry on these issues is still incredibly slow and the fashion industry is among the least ethical sectors of British industry.

Contact: Ethical Consumer Magazine
www.ethicalconsumer.org

Start Today aims to inspires sustainable behavior

Start has launched a new marketing initiative, Start Today, to inspire consumers to take steps towards more sustainable living. 10 of the biggest brands in the UK have signed up so far, including Aviva, B&Q, British Gas and EDF. The companies will unite their marketing activity behind the theme of do more, with less. Each company will suggest a simple step their consumers can adopt to encourage more sustainable living. As part of the initiative IBM will be hosting a business summit ‘Start Now, Start Today, bringing together the ten companies involved in Start Today as well as other high profile brands to discuss how companies can work together to drive social change. This marks the first time brands have come together in the UK to try to drive sustainability through their marketing activities.

Contact: Start Today
www.starttoday.org.uk

Sainsbury’s identifies the ways we waste food

New research carried out by Sainsbury’s has revealed that Britain’s believe they bin almost 10% of their weekly food shop and shoppers are unnecessarily throwing away £12 billion worth of food a year. The research has identified six types of people who waste food in a different way according to their lifestyles and beliefs. The groups include hungry hoarders, ditsy diarists, food phobics, the separate shoppers and freezer geezers. Sainsbury’s is working with Wrap’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign to help address each group. They will work in partnership to help train in-store colleagues across the country to give customers practical tips and advice to help them reduce their food waste.

Contact: Sainsbury’s
www.sainsburys.co.uk

Meaningful Brands is first index to link brands to our wellbeing

Havas Media have launched the first index and analysis to link brands to our wellbeing. The Meaningful brands index has revealed that only 5% of brands in the US are seen to have a noticeable positive impact on our sense of wellbeing and quality of life. The Index measures the perceived impact of brand son consumer’ personal and collective wellbeing by measuring factors including a brand’s influence on people’s health, fitness, happiness, values and social relationships as well as how brands help to improve communities, societies and the environment. The greater the role a brand has in consumers’ well-being the more meaningful the brand becomes. Kraft tops the Brand Index, with Whole Foods following in second place. Also included in the top ten are Google, Microsoft and Coca-Cola.

Contact: Havas Media
www.havasmedia.com