Green Scene

Meat bites back

Meat bites back
Regenuary is a provocative alternative to Veganuary. But can it encourage a more nuanced debate about ‘better’ meat? David Burrows reports. In the past couple of years Veganuary has hogged the headlines as Brits promise to give up meat and dairy products in the first month of the year. In 2021, half a million had…
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Climate change and plant proteins will hit meat companies hard

Climate change and plant proteins will hit meat companies hard
The physical impacts of climate change and rapid growth of alternative proteins will put billions of dollars at risk for current food sector giants such as Tyson Foods and JBS, suppliers to household names such as McDonald’s, Walmart, Burger King and Marks & Spencer. According to an analysis by Fairr, the $20 trillion investor network, seven “key risks” will impact the…
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Analysis: Mind the emissions gap – why now is the time to act

Analysis: Mind the emissions gap – why now is the time to act
The latest UN report shows that climate action is lagging well behind what’s needed. Countries must get serious, say experts at the World Resources Institute. The UN’s annual Emissions Gap Report takes stock of where global greenhouse gas emissions are headed versus where they need to be if we are to avoid the worst effects…
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Where’s the beef?

Where’s the beef?
Irish beef sells itself on its green and natural credentials. Does it live up to the hype and what part can it play in a sustainable diet? Footprint’s Amy Fetzer investigates. It’s a funny few days to be finding out more about Irish beef and the Irish Food Board’s sustainability programme, Origin Green. Checking the…
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Will Boston Tea Party kick off a coffee revolution?

Will Boston Tea Party kick off a coffee revolution?
The café chain’s total ban on single-use cups is a bold move that its customers may not be ready for. By David Burrows. From today (June 1st) single-use coffee cups will be banned at Boston Tea Party’s (BTP) 21 stores. It’s a bold move, not least because takeaway hot drinks are responsible for 5.2% of…
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Fit for the future

Fit for the future
The best sustainability strategies are those that are aligned with an organisation’s goals and impacts, and which don’t shy away from stretching targets. So what can be learned from Sodexo’s Better Tomorrow 2025? Amy Fetzer reports. It’s all about impact. When setting sustainability strategy, the key question that should be asked is: what and where…
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Why businesses need to take biodiversity seriously

Why businesses need to take biodiversity seriously
Our food system is advancing the destruction of the natural world; but food businesses have the power to reverse it. By Nick Hughes. Delegates of a fatalistic disposition will have come away from October’s Extinction and Livestock conference in London feeling even more despondent about the state of our planet. The shocking statistics about the…
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Food fraud: the dark side of ethical eating

Food fraud: the dark side of ethical eating
Criminals have seen a chance to profit from the boom in sustainable food and businesses need to take the problem seriously, writes Nick Hughes. It’s an unfortunate paradox of the market economy that as a desirable market prospers a less desirable one is sure to emerge in its shadow. Such is the case with ethical…
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Farmers’ fair-weather friend?

Farmers’ fair-weather friend?
Campaigners have cried foul over Sainsbury’s decision to stop working with the Fairtrade Foundation on tea, but is it really the ‘regressive step’ critics claim? By David Burrows. Sainsbury’s was one of the first retailers to sell Fairtrade products, and in the past 20 years or so it’s grown into the world’s largest retailer of…
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Heineken’s greener brew

Heineken’s greener brew
The beer giant is refreshing parts of an industry its rivals haven’t reached, with a zero-carbon brewery in Göss. David Burrows reports from Austria. Chatting over a few steins in the Austrian town of Göss, Michael Dickstein admits the concept of a zero-carbon beer might not resonate with the majority of drinkers. His marketing team…
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