Good news to wrap up 2021

It’s been another year of gloomy news, and with each visit to your news outlet of choice, your festive spirit may well be disappearing faster than your supplies of advocaat when your grandma’s around. 

Yet, there is still good news to be found, especially on the sustainability front. We’ve sifted through the negatives to find a few gems to keep you positive for the season and the year ahead. 

A greater focus on insight down to grower level from major supermarkets 

In 2022, Aldi and Lidl will be obliging their suppliers to implement the GlobalGAP chain of custody for their entire supply chain. This means they will be required for all suppliers to offer good insight down to the grower level. Aldi also has been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency as a “green” power leader, showing a serious investment in sustainability. This comes at the ideal time, as Post-Brexit and amidst pandemic, many consumers are seeking lower-cost supermarkets. To offer both value for money and great ethical values is the ‘dream team’. 

Product leaps in minimising food waste from Amazon 

We needn’t mention just how big Amazon are- and like them or love them, the great news is that they have some solutions up ahead to help cut food waste. They have developed a recyclable grocery delivery packaging made from recycled paper tissue which will maintain the temperature of cold and frozen products. Designed to be more compact to allow for more deliveries per vehicle, this can replace 735 000 pounds of plastic film, 3.15 million pounds of cotton fibre and 15 million pounds of non-recyclable mixed plastics.

Consumer and business interest in sustainability is growing 

According to a Deloitte study of more than 2,000 UK adults aged 18+ between 5 and 8 March 2021, consumers are adapting how they shop and the brands they engage with. 61% of consumers have reduced their use of single-use plastics, nearly 1 in 3 have stopped purchasing from brands due to sustainability concerns, and this year 49% of consumers said they bought more seasonal produce. These are all great steps forward. 

Brands are following suit. Ten years ago, 20% of companies in the S&P 500 index published sustainability reports detailing their economic, environmental, and social impact. By 2019, the figure was 90%. The United Nations has a 2030 target for reducing food waste by half and more than 190 countries have agreed to the plan, which is part of the UN’s sustainable development goals. Responsible production and consumption is number 12 on the list of 17 goals. While there are questions around the feasibility and steps we need to get there, this is a positive step. 

Predicted growth in social certificates

An increase in the use of ‘social certificates’ is expected to continue in the upcoming years. GRASP certificates are expected to grow by 7.4 per cent, SMETA by 10 per cent (Sedex) and Rainforest Alliance by 15 per cent each year according to Agriplace and Fruitnet.

Sustainability solutions being taken seriously by airlines

Getting food to a table or passengers to a holiday is heavy on emissions. To help. EasyJet and Rolls-Royce are to collaborate on research into industry-wide sustainability solutions for commercial aircraft. The study, to start in January and run for up to two years, will seek to explore alternative energy and power solutions, including low carbon and zero-emission technologies, and their application for aircraft.

A huge advance in sustainable product development 

From coffee pods through to freeze-dried beauty products, vegan diamonds to underwear made from waste milk – there are some huge leaps coming right now. Take a look at some of these seriously cool new inventions – they were at top of our list from Santa! 

That’s just the tip of the iceberg of some of the good things happening in the world. At Orderly, we have had a great year, supporting businesses who are serious about getting sustainability right, and making it both easy and fun – whilst also decreasing food waste and improving profits. 

Why not take a look at some of our solutions, and speak to us today. With the right tech in place – you can make your own great news for 2022.