S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
PLASTIC POLLUTION CLIENTEARTH
Supermarkets could face legal action for plastic failures Report suggests many Big Food companies are “failing to recognise, report and act” on the risks of continuing to rely on plastic packaging.
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upermarkets and food producers that turn a blind eye to the risks related to plastic pollution could face legal action, a new report reveals. Lawyers at environmental law charity ClientEarth have found that many ‘Big Food’ companies are failing to recognise, report and act on the risks of continuing to rely on plastic packaging, putting them at risk of legal action, and their shareholders in line for financial losses.
ClientEarth plastics lawyer and author of the report Rosa Pritchard commented: “The time is up for single-use plastics, but Big Food is burying its head in the sand. A slew of stricter laws on single-use plastics are rapidly making our continued reliance on plastic packaging untenable, and consumers are turning their back on single-use plastic culture. Yet the companies behind many of our household brands are treating the plastics crisis as a PR problem, rather
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than a serious and escalating business risk. “Big Food is facing major financial headwinds and yet many are not disclosing the looming financial impacts of their reliance on plastic to investors – something they are legally required to do. This omission puts them at risk of legal action.” In the report, ClientEarth’s lawyers urge investors, asset managers and financial advisors to engage with Big Food and push for greater transparency, more ambitious targets, and more effective policies on plastics – to protect their holdings and ensure compliance with their own legal obligations. “Investors and other financial institutions have a huge amount of leverage with Big Food. They could demand better performance from businesses on their plastic strategies, or decide to invest elsewhere to avoid plastic-related business risks – as they too are not immune to serious financial consequences,” added Pritchard. A recent report by Break Free From Plastic assessing the actions being taken by key FMCG companies to tackle plastic waste found that out of 214 projects, 176 were deemed to be “false solution” projects.
