The government’s cabinet reshuffle and the creation of a new department for energy security and net-zero is the big news this week. Top of the to do list for the new team will be securing long-term energy supplies, increasing renewables and seizing upon the opportunities in net-zero highlighted in the recently published Skidmore review. Experts have welcomed…

Prime minister Rishi Sunk this week confirmed that the department of business, energy and industrial strategy (BEIS) will be split into four new departments, including a new department for energy security and net-zero. Grant Shapps has been appointed secretary of state for energy security and net-zero and his department will be tasked with “securing our…

Dairy company Arla has been banned from using the claim ‘net-zero climate footprint’ when marketing some of its products. Both Sweden’s consumer watchdog and the country’s Patent and Market Court said the impression is that “the product does not give rise to any climate footprint at all”.  Victoria Olsson, head of sustainability at Arla Sweden, told Just…

The UK government has lofty ambitions for the environment – on paper at least. This week’s environmental improvement plan was described in Rishi Sunak’s foreword as “a blueprint not just to halt the decline of nature in our country but to reverse it”. Reaction to the plan – a legal requirement under the Environment Act 2021 – suggested…

The UK government should introduce a supplier-facing carbon levy on food to incentivise more sustainable production methods and product innovation, according to behaviour change experts. Researchers from The Behavioural Insights Team (formerly the government’s ‘nudge’ unit) said such a levy should be based on the carbon intensity per portion of the food and should focus…

Policy makers should promote fruit and vegetable consumption in schools by making it a requirement that two portions of vegetables are included in each meal. The call was made in new research into how UK policymakers can boost fruit and vegetable production and consumption. Researchers suggested that England’s school food standards should be strengthened to require that…

Regulators have stepped up their war against greenwash by targeting environmental claims made for household essentials. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will focus on claims made for everyday foods, drinks and toiletries amid concerns that shoppers are being misled. The latest move marks an expansion of the CMA’s work to ensure products and services…

Hospitality businesses in Scotland are being urged to ditch single-use packaging after a pilot scheme saw a significant fall in the use of disposable items when reusable alternatives were made available. The 12-month long pilot run by Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) saw common disposable items such as sauce sachets and takeaway cups replaced with reusable…

This week's digest is overflowing with news on healthy diets, mandatory ecolabelling schemes, dairy stats and the concept of ‘peak meat’. But first: the (official) decision to ban a range of single-use plastic items – including plates, bowls and cutlery – has been making headlines all week. Small businesses, like fish and chip shops, could well struggle…