Sustainable supermarkets

Sustainable supermarkets

Read an article about how some supermarkets have become more environmentally friendly to practise and improve your reading skills.

Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and do the exercises.

Preparation

Reading text

Many of the major supermarket chains have come under fire with accusations of various unethical acts over the past decade. They've wasted tonnes of food, they've underpaid their suppliers and they've contributed to excessive plastic waste in their packaging, which has had its impact on our environment.

But supermarkets and grocers are starting to sit up and take notice. In response to growing consumer backlash against the huge amounts of plastic waste generated by plastic packaging, some of the largest UK supermarkets have signed up to a pact promising to transform packaging and cut plastic wastage. In a pledge to reuse, recycle or compost all plastic wastage by 2025, supermarkets are now beginning to take some responsibility for the part they play in contributing to the damage to our environment, with one major supermarket announcing their plan to eliminate all plastic packaging in their own-brand products by 2023.

In response to criticisms over food waste, some supermarkets are donating some of their food surplus. However, charities estimate that they are only accessing two per cent of supermarkets' total food surplus, so this hardly seems to be solving the problem. Some say that supermarkets are simply not doing enough. Most supermarkets operate under a veil of secrecy when asked for exact figures of food wastage, and without more transparency it is hard to come up with a systematic approach to avoiding waste and to redistributing surplus food.

Some smaller companies are now taking matters into their own hands and offering consumers a greener, more environmentally friendly option. Shops like Berlin's Original Unverpakt and London's Bulk Market are plastic-free shops that have opened in recent years, encouraging customers to use their own containers or compostable bags. Online grocer Farmdrop eliminates the need for large warehouses and the risk of huge food surplus by delivering fresh produce from local farmers to its customers on a daily basis via electric cars, offering farmers the lion's share of the retail price.

There is no doubt that we still have a long way to go in reducing food waste and plastic waste. But perhaps the major supermarkets might take inspiration from these smaller grocers and gradually move towards a more sustainable future for us all.

Discussion

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Average: 4.5 (12 votes)

Submitted by AbdelMarokko on Sun, 27/12/2020 - 07:44

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For the first time when i read the first paragraph, the text begin with a large problems that faces all supermarkets over the world, for example underpayments, so i wish i read more a bout resolving this problem too

Submitted by Thomas Alva on Tue, 01/12/2020 - 08:20

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it feels so good to see that some people aware of the fact that protection of our environment is important.And ım supporting these markets. and if ı could remove something from the markets it would be spray deodorants.If u read this do a good thing and please stop using spray deodorants for our beautiful environment.

Submitted by Loveandpeace on Mon, 06/07/2020 - 16:31

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Personally, I think supermarkets should stop having grocery plastic bags so each person has to bring your own bag. Another option is to make paper bags available for people to purchase at the supermarket. In the USA, some supermarkets are doing that already. The customers have two options: bring their own bags or purchase paper bags at the store.

Submitted by cadu on Wed, 17/06/2020 - 01:15

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The supermarkets should support local vendors for reduce their CO2 footprint. To work for develop packagings reusable and without plastic and less ink. To improve the use of renewable energies in their warehouses, like solar and hire people that live in the neighborhoods where they are located.

Submitted by Hai994 on Sun, 14/06/2020 - 20:34

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The most important thing to reduce using plastics is that everyone should take responsibility to reduce the use of plastics because we all live on this planet. Then the government must take control of this problem by pushing the supermarket to reduce consuming the plastics.

Submitted by Aam33 on Wed, 03/06/2020 - 22:56

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Plastic waste is the worst enemy of the world in recent times, particularly in the developing countries, where waste management companies do business more than their fundamental mandate. Banning the use of plastic is the best way to go or imposing huge taxes on its usage to serve as disincentive for it.
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Submitted by OlaIELTS on Tue, 26/05/2020 - 14:22

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They should improves more on their social responsibility services to stakeholders in their environment.

Submitted by om mariam on Tue, 12/05/2020 - 09:28

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I think buying groceries should be directly from the local farmer, this will grantee a healthy fresh product for the consumers and a fair price for the suppliers. A deterrent law should be applied to eliminate the use of plastic in supermarkets and other shops as well.

Submitted by heeyoungkim on Fri, 13/03/2020 - 10:44

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Some stores in South Korea do not issue the paper print, they replace it as electronic receipts using the smartphone application.