How can we get supermarkets to change their habits? What would it take?

Resverathrole

I hear various environmentalists on the radio saying that we should write to our local supervalu asking them to reduce on plastic. But I'm guessing that a store owner of any particular supervalu can't do much without consulting the franchise, as they all seem to have a lot of the same habits. I remember signing some petition at the door of a Tesco a few months ago, and I'm guessing nothing came of it.

Today I realised that I could buy 4 supervalu branded apples in a pack for €1.29, and that the best that I could get with the loose apple (of the same kind) was 5 for €2. Think about this. It's as if they're trying encourage people from buy the apples in a pack that come with plastic wrapping and cardboard.

When I walk around a store I often see things that they could do to cut down on waste that would also safe money. I mean if less plastic/cardboard is used in the manufacturing, then this should ultimately save $$.

colm_mcm

I would imagine their main concern would be being able to sell all the apples. The packaged ones are much less likely to get damaged, they probably are easier to display, they’re already bar-coded, they don’t have to supply plastic paper bags to put them in - plus with loose apples, you’ll always get the ones people don’t want to buy because of superficial marks etc.

Wanderer78

Leave packaging with the supermarket maybe?

Resverathrole

Wanderer78 wrote: »

Leave packaging with the supermarket maybe?

You're starting to annoy

Wanderer78

Resverathrole wrote:

You're starting to annoy

Good stuff, that's a start

WinOrLearn BusFighter

You'll be glad to hear this

https://www.thesun.ie/news/3226031/lidl-scrap-sale-of-single-use-plastic/

Alkers

It will have to be a government levy or something to make single use packaging uneconomic before we see significant change I think

Wanderer78

Simona1986 wrote:

It will have to be a government levy or something to make single use packaging uneconomic before we see significant change I think

Yea I think so to

Blaizes

Maybe it starts with us. Being fed up with the amount of plastic in my weekly shop, I am now buying meat from the meat counter( no more prepacked stuff) same for fruit and veg loose only.Am going back to soap instead of shower gel as again too many plastic bottles. Same with ice cream no more plastic containers will only buy one wrapped in cardboard.I'm just fed up with the amount of wrapping and plastic and decided to do something about it for the new year.Even for lunch sandwiches I buy and boil a piece of ham which I slice instead of buying prepacked sliced ham which again includes mountains of plastic. It's small steps I know but at least I feel a step in the right direction.

gobo99

The reason the packaged apples are cheaper is because they don't really want to be selling loads of loose apples. They take up more man hours, effort and cost. They must provide bags for them and manually put them through till. If they go through self scans then they will probably be put in as the wrong type of apple alot of the time which messes up the book stocks on both products.
There is alot of wastage on them because they don't sell well and people are more fussy when picking out loose produce. If they have to be reduced they will have to be individually stickered and even then they might only get a fraction of the price if they sell at all. If they don't sell they go in the bin which also must be paid for.
The big retailers stock them because some people will pay a premium for them, but they know most people will go with whatever is cheapest and that suit them.

Wanderer78

gobo99 wrote:

The reason the packaged apples are cheaper is because they don't really want to be selling loads of loose apples. They take up more man hours, effort and cost. They must provide bags for them and manually put them through till. If they go through self scans then they will probably be put in as the wrong type of apple alot of the time which messes up the book stocks on both products. There is alot of wastage on them because they don't sell well and people are more fussy when picking out loose produce. If they have to be reduced they will have to be individually stickered and even then they might only get a fraction of the price if they sell at all. If they don't sell they go in the bin which also must be paid for. The big retailers stock them because some people will pay a premium for them, but they know most people will go with whatever is cheapest and that suit them.

Is our environment more important or 'the economy'?

Blaizes

gobo99 wrote: »

The reason the packaged apples are cheaper is because they don't really want to be selling loads of loose apples. They take up more man hours, effort and cost. They must provide bags for them and manually put them through till. If they go through self scans then they will probably be put in as the wrong type of apple alot of the time which messes up the book stocks on both products.
There is alot of wastage on them because they don't sell well and people are more fussy when picking out loose produce. If they have to be reduced they will have to be individually stickered and even then they might only get a fraction of the price if they sell at all. If they don't sell they go in the bin which also must be paid for.
The big retailers stock them because some people will pay a premium for them, but they know most people will go with whatever is cheapest and that suit them.

How come then the small local greengrocer can sell loose fruit and vegetables including apples.It can be done and doesn't need to be all prepacked.We are now at the point where plastic particles have been found in fecal matter so somehow it is working its way into our bodies either through the air or the food we are consuming in all its pre wrapped glory.It is true some people go for the cheaper option but equally you could argue that it isn't cheap in the long run as the six prepacked apples won't all get eaten and end up being binned so buying three loose ones in the first place would have been a better idea. But this calls for a change of thinking and making different choices.

Markcheese

Unfortunately most small green grocers are struggling or gone.. And where you do see loose fruit and veg and packaged in a supermarket, the packaged usually sells more...
The supermarkets would like the public to sort this out.. (recycle more, read our very long environmental policy)
Its gonna take government policy,(levys) probably in concert with recyclers...
The more complex the packaging is to recycle the dearer the levy should be, and films and soft plastics would either need to be compostable or recyclable..
Its actually not rocket science... But.. Timing could be critical, high oil price would make plastic recycling more effective... But increases in recycling costs affects inflation.. (which is worse when oil price is high)
Probably should be done EU wide... (Would have been easier for us if UK were still in)

Wanderer78

we landfill roughly 30% of our foods, somethings not right there!

gobo99

Wanderer78 wrote: »

Is our environment more important or 'the economy'?

Blaizes wrote: »

How come then the small local greengrocer can sell loose fruit and vegetables including apples.It can be done and doesn't need to be all prepacked.We are now at the point where plastic particles have been found in fecal matter so somehow it is working its way into our bodies either through the air or the food we are consuming in all its pre wrapped glory.It is true some people go for the cheaper option but equally you could argue that it isn't cheap in the long run as the six prepacked apples won't all get eaten and end up being binned so buying three loose ones in the first place would have been a better idea. But this calls for a change of thinking and making different choices.

Just to make myself clear I'm in favour of less packaging myself. I'm just trying to show where the supermarkets are coming from. Big business doesn't have a conscience unfortunately.

Wanderer78

gobo99 wrote: »

Just to make myself clear I'm in favour of less packaging myself. I'm just trying to show where the supermarkets are coming from. Big business doesn't have a conscience unfortunately.

unfortunately we are to blame as much as big business, as we are a part of big business

3DataModem

Resverathrole wrote: »

I mean if less plastic/cardboard is used in the manufacturing, then this should ultimately save $$.

The plastic / cardboard is there for a reason. Ease of shipping, ease of packing, reduced damage. This ultimately reduces spoilage and shipping damage, which reduces cost.

Wanderer78

3DataModem wrote: »

The plastic / cardboard is there for a reason. Ease of shipping, ease of packing, reduced damage. This ultimately reduces spoilage and shipping damage, which reduces cost.

again, theres 'toxic cost' to the creation of all materials, including 100% recyclable, biodegradable etc materials

Blaizes

gobo99 wrote: »

Just to make myself clear I'm in favour of less packaging myself. I'm just trying to show where the supermarkets are coming from. Big business doesn't have a conscience unfortunately.

True they so don't have a conscience but it's just so frustrating to see all the packaging and then the inevitable consequences but all we can do is our own bit I suppose.

Alkers

Wanderer78 wrote:

Is our environment more important or 'the economy'?

They weren't justifying it, just explaining the workings of it

Wanderer78

Simona1986 wrote:

They weren't justifying it, just explaining the workings of it

But does it actually 'work'?

Markcheese

3DataModem wrote: »

The plastic / cardboard is there for a reason. Ease of shipping, ease of packing, reduced damage. This ultimately reduces spoilage and shipping damage, which reduces cost.

Which is all true, but doesn't mean we should just chuck everything in a heap.
everything we do creates "waste", and packaging is not always a bad thing.. But landfill really is a crappy solution, and the groups with the power in this are big retailers and consumers...
Consumers vote with their wallets and supermarkets have the clout to tell suppliers what they want and influence consumers..