Tesco has taken a lot of flak recently, but you can’t deny that out of all the UK supermarkets, it seems to be currently blowing the green bugle the loudest.
‘Together, we can make the little changes that make a big difference,’is obviously going all out for the green-conscienced shopper, and ‘cynical marketing ploy’ could be just three words which could be levelled at the shopping giant. Newly-introduced Green Clubcard Points soften bolster the eco-buyer’s basket too.
But, can the little changes really make a big difference?
Retailers have finally cottoned on to the idea of 100% biodegradable plastic carrier bags, and not only are bags from Tesco environmentally friendly, but the firm also gives the shopper one Green Clubcard Point every time a bag (carrier or other) is reused. Estimates point to the fact that over one billion fewer carrier bags will be used per year.
Printer cartridges are another area in which companies seem to have woken up to the environmental-damaging potential. Over 250 million discarded cartridges go straight to landfill each year, and apart from not printing off that vital document in the first place, recycling them seems to be the next best step. Again, a points incentive is offered by Tesco, with 100 Green Clubcard Points available per cartridge recycled. Or, if you’re of a charity mind, money can be donated to the British Red cross, therefore forfeiting the eco-earning points.
It may be ‘good to talk’, but while we’re all catching up with what Auntie Maureen did last weekend on our new gadget-laden mobile phones, there are another estimated 66 million more old ones that are in danger of being sent to the big call box in the sky. Not environmentally, either. In exchange for 500 Green Clubcard Points, Tesco offers to take these too, and save them from a twilight life in landfill. Again, the British Red Cross will benefit (to the tune of £5) if charity appeals more than having a green conscience.
The supermarket leader has introduced other eco-measures too.
The ‘Tesco Train’ now runs between its distribution centres at Daventry and Livingston, taking the stock of twenty-eight trucks. The figures are impressive. Apparently saving over 14,560 lorry journeys every year, five million fewer miles are driven annually, and moving stock by rail moves 180,000 tonnes of freight of the roads each year.
Those lorries which are still on the road are a little greener too. Tesco trucks now use a 50% biodiesel blend, ‘a renewable fuel made from vegetable oil blended with diesel and petrol’. The company claims that greenhouse gas emissions will be cut by more than 100,000 tonnes per year. More is to follow too, with the availability of biodiesel on its customer forecourts.
Recycling is also key at Tesco, with the company aiming to recycle 80% of its own waste by 2008; 9% up on its current figure.
In-store promotions include double Green Clubcard Points on energy-efficient products between 15 February and 8 April. With things such as changing light bulbs some of the simplest to do to give your home an instantly greener slant, this should prove popular.
But, all these measures are helpful only if enough people feel that they want to give their greener conscience an airing.
Remember, every little helps.
I must admit I’ve been working out the maths with buying multiple old mobile phone handsets from eBay and trading them in for £5 of Clubcard points (which equates to £20 of deals).
Oh, and yesterday, Tesco were giving away free Bags For Life as a one-day awareness promotion.