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News & Views From the Front Line
Monday, 11 January 2010
Clever green branding
On Friday I had a lovely, warming lunch in Blackfriars cafe in Newcastle. I was very taken with their placemats that showed the local suppliers they use. This is a fantastic piece of green branding. First of all, it doesn't scream green which would be out of place in a mid-market eatery. But it gets across a key message - "we source locally and from a lot of organic farms".
Secondly, it demonstrates green rather than claiming green. It says "here are the facts - you make up your mind".
Thirdly, it grabs your attention in the time between ordering and being served, providing a conversation piece. Restaurants which put food sources on the menu are competing for attention when customers are trying to choose a dish.
Very clever indeed.
Labels: food miles, green claims, green marketing
# posted by Gareth Kane : 09:57
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Wednesday, 17 October 2007
Supermarkets Start Putting Words into Practice
Six months ago, you couldn't open a newspaper without one supermarket supremo or another launching a programme to make their chain more sustainable. Well the National Consumer Council (NCC)'s annual study of supermarkets' environmental performance has found that many of the UK's top food retailers have improved their environmental performance in the past year.Sainsbury's and Marks and Spencer moved up a grade to join Waitrose at the head of the league table with a B rating. Asda and Tesco have both moved from a D in last year's table to a C, while Morrisons and Somerfield improved their scores from an E to a D. The Co-op retained its D rating. None of the eight top food retailers achieved an A, or excellent, rating. The full report can be found here.
So why is this sector so important? Well the food we eat is responsible for one third of our impact on climate change. It's not just air miles either - in the UK, supermarket lorries travel the equivalent distance of going to the moon and back every day.
But what is encouraging is the shift from plans to action. Maybe next year one of the big sheds will hit the 'A' grade.
Labels: climate change, food miles, supermarkets
# posted by Gareth Kane : 09:02
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A highly accessible, practical guide to those who want to introduce sustainability into their business or organization quickly and effectively.
