Coles | Food waste, plastics and responsible sourcing, how the supermarket giant tackles it all

Coles is one of the most important retailers in the country, with 17 million transactions per week and a loyalty program that reaches 80% of Australians. So what role do they play in our transition to a sustainable future, and how are they tracking?

In a refreshingly candid conversation, Kiarne sits down with Bill Wall (Lead Sustainable Sourcing Manager - Seafood) and Caitlyn Richards (Group Sustainable Sourcing Manager - Strategic and Responsible Sourcing) to look at what has been achieved, what’s high on the priority list, and where to next for the large supermarket. We learn how Cole has expanded its sustainability teams and expertise in recent years and moved from a "sustainability strategy" to a "sustainable business strategy." If food waste accounts for about 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and as Caitlyn points out, if we put food waste in the context of national emissions, it would be the third largest emitter in the world (source: Our World in Data). What role do supermarkets play in reducing waste from farm to store and at home on the pantry shelf?

Coles understands its responsibility to not only to offer their customers socially and environmentally sustainable options, but also to offer convenience and value seekers a choice. It is a delicate balance, which is even more complex due to the varying consumer knowledge of food and packaging consumption. Providing sustainable options and sharing knowledge with customers, while ensuring that customer needs lead the product offering, is a difficult task. Understanding how Coles makes this transition will offer listeners an eye-opening view of what it takes to lead the challenge. This is an episode NOT to be missed.

MENTIONS:

Coles Sustainability: https://www.coles.com.au/about/sustainability

WWF Australia https://wwf.org.au/

FishWise: https://fishwise.org/

Planet Ark: https://planetark.org/

Second Bite: https://secondbite.org/

Coles home compostable coffee pod https://www.foodmag.com.au/coles-launches-own-brand-compostable-coffee-pods/

LINKS:

Learn more about SustainabilityTracker.com

Learn more about The Sustainable Transformation Podcast

Follow The Sustainable Choice Group on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok

Follow Nova Podcasts on Instagram for videos from the podcast and behind the scenes content – @novapodcastsofficial

CREDITS:

Host: Kiarne Treacy

Find more great podcasts like this at novapodcasts.com.au

Nova Entertainment acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we produced this podcast, the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation.

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