Tesco Promotion - "Go Green"?

Question

I just went to tesco's to get shopping.

Today and this week tesco's are not giving out plastic bags, if you want a bag you have to purchase their £1 'straw' bag.

What a con! Tesco is trying to appear to be helping the environment by cashing in on it.

This is not a legitimate step to encourage recycling! Maybe tesco should look at the irrelevant leaflets it produces, the billboard posters, the vans used to deliver home shopping orders, the till receipts they produce in copious amounts and the excess packaging on their products!

Perhaps that would help the environment!!!

What a con, What a farce.. What exploitation... What right has tesco got to force recycling on ME??

Answer 1

You've peeked at the tip of the iceberg, but not just Tesco...all the major supermarkets are up to it. It's not just the environment, but I have ethical issues too.

It's called "Greenwash", where companies try to make out how 'green' they are, but a little scratch at the surface shows them for what they are.

Air freighted fruit and veg: I went into my local (large) Tesco during an 'apple' festival, yet could not find a single UK grown apple. They were all from France (Golden Delicious....insipid), the US, South Africa and Australia.

Seen those little trays of 'baby' green beans tied with a chive?

Tesco fly the packaging (and the chives) out to Kenya, where workers in huge sheds (who are not paid a living wage of course) tie bunches of green beans into neat packets with the chives, tray and wrap them (in plastic clingfilm) and then they are flow back to the UK.

That's a round trip of 4,000 milles, using untaxed aviation fuel. Tesco gets a VAT refund on the packaging as irt is being exported (outside of the EU) and can also claim the cost of the transport as a business expense.

I could add in supermarkets distribution networks, where you have produce delivered to one of several regional distribution centres, which could be driving past the very supermarkets they will end up at. Inefficient, but of course all wear and tear on lorries and their fuel is all tax-deductible as a business expense.

Policies such as Tescos 'straw bags' enable them to 'demonstrate' to the Govt that they are doing their bit, hoping to avoid any new laws being introduced, such as those in Germany, which require retailers to collect excess packaging from their customers at the checkouts or those in Denmark forcing them to operate deposit schemes on bottles and cans. Notice how clean those countries are as a result!

Answer 2

Take your own plastic bag, it's what I do, and have done for ages. Of course if the shop does not supply bags, you then have to buy them for you rubbish! Didn't think of that one, did they?

Answer 3

OBVIOUSLY YOU DON'T WANT TO HELP THE ENVIROMENT.

Answer 4

Get used to it. In Ireland, they always ask you if you want a bag. If yes, they charge you 5 cents for it. You just have to think about bringing your own when you go shopping.

In Canada, Ikea has the same policy: You want a bag for your purchases? It's also 5 cents... but all the proceeds go towards environment causes.

My local grocery store gives you 5 cents back if you bring your own bag. Zellers gives you 100 rewards points if you bring your own.

All in all, if you don't want to be charged for a bag, it's easy: bring your own ecolo bag!

If store like Tesco don't take the initiative to "force people" like you to recycle, some people never will!!

But I agree on all the extra packaging on products.

Answer 5

I couldnt agree more, and I wonder what energy resources have gone into making their 'green bags', ie carbon emissions through transport and manufacture. The major supermarkets maintain that they have reduced carbon emissions through transport because they have such big shops that are able to hold a lot of stock so lessening their journeys, but this just passes the buck onto the consumer that has to travel further in their cars to get to these places because they are usually out of town.

Answer 6

Just change to another supermarket if they wish to go like Lidl.

But I do think it is the government that is putting the pressure on them.

Answer 7

I have always found tesco rather...what's the word...well, they assume people are simple minded. They say..'our produce is cheap'. wh did you ever hear them say 'our quality is better'? Never! they just try things on and hope to pull a few pounds out of people's pockets before people begin to complain. So... how environmentally friendly is the ag? Who made it? Children in a far off country somewhere?

Answer 8

Everyone else is complaining they are not going far enough and you are saying this?    

ever feel you are trying to turn the tide away luddite?

for once I appreciate Tesco's "little bit!"

Answer 9

Everyone should be using reusable shopping bags anyway. We have all been setting a terrible example to the next generation for far too long now. They will grow up to think it's ok for so much things to be disposable when it's not! We are messing up the world for our children and their children to come and Tesco and the other supermarkets are trying to take steps to force us to stop this. The idea of having to pay for your bags will hopefully encourage you to keep them and reuse them.

As for your gripe about home delivery - have you thought about how many peoples shopping they can get into one of their vans at once, saving probably at least a dozen cars traveling to the shop.

As tesco says "Every Little Helps" and we all need to start making little changes to make a big difference.

Answer 10

I don't consider getting rid of plastic bags as a move toward recycling, it is more of a reduction of pollution.

In the Us we dispose of nearly 100 billion plastic bags annually, millions of which end up littering the environment and harming endangered wildlife, both on land and at sea. The design makes it easy to blow away and since they are light weight they don't hold much.

Most stores pay you 5-10 cents for each bag you reuse, so if you invest a dollar you will usually recoup your investment in a few months.

I can't say for sure, but Tesco probably allows you to reuse any bag. So if you really love to use the plastic bags, you can brings yours from home and use them at the store. I have used a variety of reusable bags and have never been told I can't put my purchases in them.

When I lived in Italy years ago the most stores I shopped at charged for plastic or paper bags, so I began bringing my own.

I guess the question should be what right do you have to expect Tesco to provide you with a new bag each time you come into the store?

Answer 11

If you use your own bags you get rewarded don't you.

I don't really see what all the fuss is about, I'm sure supermarkets used to charge for plastic bags a few years ago and people used their own bags.

Have you thought that by using their plastic bags you are giving them free advertising - that's exploitation too.

As for the vans for home delivery - one van will take several cars off the road, AND not everyone has their own transport.

BTW - Those plastic bags are not free, the cost is included in your shopping (overheads), and is probably why you get 'rewarded' for using your own bags.

Answer 12

Tescopoly game play.

Unwrap at the checkout (but keep your hair on).

Answer 13

This is known as 'Jumping on the Bandwagon'.

RoyS

Answer 14

tesco do have certain rights, one of these is to offer you freebies such as plastic bags, which i notice are now degrading nicely...

however my point is that tesco have also the right to not give away free plastic bags to consumers, if you get me?

so as a green consumer you probably jumped at the chance to buy cheap longer lasting bags for you and your friends

-_-)

Answer 15

Hi Mr Meldrew!

you can reuse any bag you like to receive a Tesco club-point.

Answer 16

Well,their shop their rules but you do deserve it why dont you just buy it and help the enviroment!!!!

sheesh no need to fuss.

plus they have the right to help the enviroment.