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In the UK the equivalent of four million Christmas dinners are wasted every year.
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From LGBTQI rights to racial justice, companies are embracing the social issues that matter to their consumers. And, of course, that makes sense.
Calls to boycott supermarket-branded milk only put greater pressure on the dairy farmers who supply it.
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Calls to boycott supermarket-branded milk are misguided; and a royal commission into treatment of dairy farmers would be money wasted.
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There is something deeply irrational about the food waste movement.
Know your onions.
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It seems like a simple case of too much sun or snow wrecking crops. But is it?
Offering free lightweight plastic bags causes excessive plastic use, while banning lightweight bags can increase the use of heavier plastic bags (such as bin liners). Coles’ decision brings out the worst of both worlds.
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Providing thicker plastic bags for free is worse than pointless. It encourages the same wasteful habits, but with more damaging material.
Is forgetting your bags really such an inconvenience?
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Meet the ‘Yeah-buts’ - those who know plastic is bad for the environment, but can’t get behind the bag ban because it affects their own convenience. This mindset can stall the best-laid green plans.
Britain’s first social supermarket: Community Shop in Goldthorpe, Yorkshire.
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Social supermarkets help those struggling from food poverty – but they mask our broken food system.
There was an implicit financial exchange between parties.
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The strong reaction to plastic bag bans is because consumers feel supermarkets violated an unspoken agreement.
Woolworths has already announced it will open more smaller stores.
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Several large retailers and supermarkets have announced they are going to downsize to smaller stores.
A green light for dishonest behaviour?
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What kind of ‘swiper’ are you? A typology of people who steal from supermarkets at self-service checkouts.
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Facing stiff competition, the obvious solution is for Sainsbury’s and Asda to grow their customer base and revenues, while cutting their margins, through a merger.
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A short history of Easter egg economics.
Coles was once the market leader thanks to its ‘down down’ low pricing marketing.
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Coles plans to compete with competitors by moving away from low prices to a focus on other attributes, such as sustainability, local produce and community.
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If you communicate carefully, big retailers will listen.
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Food is just food … or is it?
Some sectors, like supermarkets, are not natural monopolies, but have significant economies of scale.
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The latest report from the Grattan Institute, finds that claims about Australia being dominated by oligopolies are overblown.
The Victorian government has a new proposal to ban plastic bags. What is it missing?
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Victoria’s proposed ban on single-use plastic bags is a step forward, but what about all the other unnecessary packaging? A truly effective waste policy should offer a comprehensive plan for packaging.
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Dave Lewis has dragged the supermarket clear of an accounting scandal. Now for the hard bit …
What will we do for bin liners now?
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Banning single-use plastic bags makes sense, as long as it doesn’t usher in behaviours that are just as bad, or worse – like over-using heavier bags made of even more plastic.