ON THE SPOT
Woolworths spells out why it is taking a phasing-out approach to plastic problem
Humans produce nearly 300-million tonnes of plastic every year, more than 8-million tonnes of which finds its way into the world’s oceans, according to the Plastic Oceans Foundation. The UN has worked out that if production and population rates continue as is, another 33-billion tonnes of plastic will have piled up on the planet by 2050, a horrifying statistic. Cynics would say it’s a clever way to capitalise on a mounting environmental crisis, announced as it was on World Environment Day this week. But Woolworths plans to have none of its packaging end up in landfills by 2022. Given the extent of the plastic problem, Business Day asked group head of sustainability Feroz Koor why take the "phasing-out" approach? We want to ensure that we do it correctly. If we have something that needs to be replaced (let’s assume it is plastic straws by paper straws) it’s easier to do a hard switchover once we find the right supplier and can secure supplies. In the case of carrier bags, that’s phas...
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