Asda slams green consumer report
Share
Asda has slammed a consumer report that names it as the least green of the supermarkets as being “inaccurate and misleading”.
The Consumer Focus Report “Green to the Core” says Asda’s green credentials have fallen to the same level as discount supermarkets Lidl and Aldi.
The supermarkets were judged on climate change, waste, recycling, sustainable fish and sustainable farming and given A, B, C, D, or E grade rating.
Asda was criticised for the low availability of seasonal UK produce, which the report says dropped 10% to 59% from 2007.
The government watchdog says that Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer have made the most improvement since the last report in 2007 and awarded both retailers “A-grades”, the first time the top score has been given.
The research claims that Tesco and Waitrose have made no progress since 2007 but Morrisons has improved each year since the report was first published in 2006.
The Co-Operative Group, Morrisons and Tesco were all awarded a C grade. Asda, Aldi and Lidl were awarded D grades, Waitrose maintained a B grade and M&S and Sainsbury’s were awarded A grades.
Sainsbury’s is set to reveal it plans to stop using F-gases to cool its fridges but will instead use carbon dioxide, which is less polluting.
Latest Jobs
Senior Brand Manager
Ball & HoolahanCustomer Insight Manager
La SenzaMarketing Manager
SugarfreeGroup Racket Sports Product Management Opportunities
Dunlop SlazengerSenior Account Manager
Kids Industries
Job of the Week
Jobs Search
Top Jobs
Latest Jobs
Senior Brand Manager
Ball & HoolahanCustomer Insight Manager
La SenzaMarketing Manager
SugarfreeGroup Racket Sports Product Management Opportunities
Dunlop SlazengerSenior Account Manager
Kids Industries
Readers' comments (3)
Chris Arnold | Mon, 9 Nov 2009 12:40 pm
I am surprised that the Co-op isn't at the top of the Green to the Core list and Sainsbury's' are which makes me doubt this survey. Being a government watchdog makes me doubt the value of the survey even more. Nothing run by the government is likely to be free from a hidden agenda, has the right people around the table, or has a well balanced and objective view. I'm open to being proved wrong. I think we have to be very careful of these kinds of reports as what makes a firm green is dependent on what you decide to define as green. Green is like politics, it has many different views. When a report like Green to the Core decides to define what's green it can corrupt the agenda. So proving that the government has even introduced politics into the green arena, which can't be a good thing. And where do they sit in the debate between ethics and green - Fairtrade vs carbon footprint?
Despite being part of Wal-Mart I’m inclined to agree with some of ASDA’s comments on the report. At least ASDA can say they are the only supermarket with a green logo.
Chris Arnold, author Ethical Marketing & the new Consumer (www.ecoethicalmarketing.info)
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
Simon Alder | Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:50 pm
In this survey is the amount of refrigerant lost to the atmosphere recorded?
I notice only Sainsburys state they are planning to stop using F - gases for their refrigeration systems and are replacing them with C02.
There are more environmentally friendly systems known as secondary refrigeration systems which use a glycol or brine as the circulating cooling medium. These system required considerable less unenvironmentally friendly refrigerants
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
Neil Everitt | Tue, 17 Nov 2009 2:58 pm
Another weak report. On the issue of climate change all the "report" has looked at is the availability and promotion of seasonal UK-sourced food and, on an engineering level, whether or not the freezers have doors.
Poor effort 2/10
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment