3 minute read
Enviromental Performance
by 55 North
SUSTAINABILITY
Government tackles greenwashing in food and drink
The Environment Agency is aiming to make it simpler for businesses and for the public to understand the environmental performance of companies.
A project to establish standardised metrics to measure environmental performance of the food and drink sector has been launched.
The Environment Agency – working with the Institute for Manufacturing at the University of Cambridge, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap), and the British Standards Institute – is aiming to make it simpler for businesses and for the public to understand the environmental performance of companies in areas such as greenhouse gas reduction and resource efficiency.
The initiative will help manufacturers to communicate their environmental performance more effectively to the public, minimising the opportunity for greenwashing. It is also hoped that it will incentivise companies toward greener manufacturing processes and business processes helping to tackle climate change.
Project lead Becca Tremain, of the Environment Agency, said: “Different food businesses have developed and adopted various environmental metrics and it can be time-consuming for food businesses to collect data from different supplier systems. This project seeks to address this challenge by standardising environmental metrics for food businesses that go beyond legal compliance. It aims to provide an effective and efficient solution to enable the automation of environmental performance data transfer across different food businesses.”
The project is being funded by a £195,000 grant from the £3.7m Regulators’ Pioneer Fund launched by The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
The project will be working with the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment, trade associations, and retailers and food manufacturers – including Sainsbury’s, Nestlé, Cranswick, 2 Sisters and Vitacress – to understand and ensure the feasibility of the metrics.
Business Minister Lord Callanan said: “This project will help keep the UK at the cutting-edge of innovation.”
FEMININE HYGIENE PRODUCTS
Lil-Lets launches reusable tampon applicator
The company will cease to manufacture its range of plastic applicator tampons after November 2021.
Period product brand Lil-Lets has unveiled a reusable tampon applicator, which is made from medical grade material and is free from latex, BPA and phthalates.
The company says the new reusable applicator is easy to clean and sterilise, lasts for years, is slimline and smooth for comfort, has a flexible, rounded tip to ensure easy insertion, has grip lines to help hold and position, and comes with a handy lid and cotton storage bag.
The Lil-Lets reusable tampon applicator is compatible with Lite, Regular, Super and Super Plus Lil-Lets tampons.
The brand will cease to manufacture its range of plastic applicator tampons after November 2021. This will reduce period plastic waste by over 11 tonnes each year, the company said.
Environmental activist Ella Daish said: “It’s fantastic to see a major brand like Lil-Lets really leading the change in the period industry by not only removing plastic applicators from their products but also stepping into the reusable market with their applicator. We need more companies to follow their lead in taking steps that are better for people and the planet.”
Lil-Lets Senior Brand Manager Abby Smith added: “We listened when our customers had concerns about the environmental impact of our plastic applicator products, and, following 12 months of product design and testing, we are thrilled to be in a position to make a difference today.”
She added: “It is easy to make the swap and by choosing our reusable applicator you will be saving an average of 286 single-use applicators from being thrown away and possibly ending up in landfill or oceans. So, with one small switch, you can be kinder to the environment.”
● The Lil-Lets reusable tampon applicator will be available to purchase online at an introductory price of £12.99 – with a retail price of £17.99. Lil-Lets will cease to manufacture its range of plastic applicator tampons after November 2021
