Since the ABC and Channel 10 News aired reports about Woolworths supermarkets’ green-washing campaign surrounding the Select toilet paper and tissues, Today Tonight has also stepped up its game and has investigated the issue.
Today Tonight (Seven Network) went to a town in South Australia where the local Woolworths store has boycotted the company’s own Select toilet paper, tissues and paper towel.
The store, in a town called Millicent, has banned the Select paper products saying that if locally produced products aren’t good enough, then nothing is.
This all seems to stem from there being a manufacturing plant in the town, which employs local workers.
What the report doesn’t adequately cover is that manufacturing plants in Australia have to conform to certain environmental practices, where as those in foreign, developing nations, such as APP in Indonesia and China, ignore logging laws and instead massacre forests in old growth, high-conservation areas.
The investigative reporter makes a good point – that if Woolworths continues to source its products from cheaper, questionable sources from overseas, that over 100,000 hectares of pine and gum tree plantations that employ Australian workers, will be wiped out.
All of this will happen while Woolworths continues to fund the carbon-emitting practices of APP, simply by sourcing its toilet paper and tissue from Indonesia and China.
Toilet paper is maybe the most-used item on everyone’s shopping list – so the fact that enormous quantities of it are being sourced from environmentally un-friendly, unsustainable and illegal sources, should be of concern to us all.
The video I got of the report is well-worth a look. I’ve posted it on YouTube and it’s embedded below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLSCR-wI5e8
It’s common knowledge that Select is a huge money-maker for Woolworths. But Michael Luscombe really needs to realise that these dodgy business practices are not acceptable and are un-Australian.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Friday, February 29, 2008
Woolworths exposed on TV x 2! Channel 10 & The ABC
It's about time really. This week the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Australia) and Channel 10 News in Sydney each aired a report about Woolworths and Safeway supermarkets' contempt for the environment and for shoppers.
The reports, on ABC Lateline and the 5 O'Clock News specifically, told how Woolworths is still stocking the toilet paper, tissues, paper towel, napkins / serviettes, which are made by Asia Pulp & Paper (APP). This is in spite of the fact that Woolworths know APP logs forests UNSUSTAINABLY.
The reports told just how terrible Woolworths is by plastering those silly grey stickers over the environmental claims on the back of all the packets (check previous posts for pictures and details).
The reporters gave a demonstration of the stickers being pulled off the back of the packs, and just how dodgy Woolworths are being, trying to cover up the claims of environmental righteousness.
I caught Lateline, but missed the 5 O'Clock News on ten. Luckily they ran it again and I got to see it. Take a look as I'll post up some good footage.
My net connection is slow, so if the videos don't appear below, come back tomorrow as I'll keep trying to upload them.
The reports, on ABC Lateline and the 5 O'Clock News specifically, told how Woolworths is still stocking the toilet paper, tissues, paper towel, napkins / serviettes, which are made by Asia Pulp & Paper (APP). This is in spite of the fact that Woolworths know APP logs forests UNSUSTAINABLY.
The reports told just how terrible Woolworths is by plastering those silly grey stickers over the environmental claims on the back of all the packets (check previous posts for pictures and details).
The reporters gave a demonstration of the stickers being pulled off the back of the packs, and just how dodgy Woolworths are being, trying to cover up the claims of environmental righteousness.
I caught Lateline, but missed the 5 O'Clock News on ten. Luckily they ran it again and I got to see it. Take a look as I'll post up some good footage.
My net connection is slow, so if the videos don't appear below, come back tomorrow as I'll keep trying to upload them.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Woolies pay lip service to the environment
An article in Monday’s Sydney Morning Herald reports Woolworths (Safeway) supermarkets have suddenly developed an environmental conscience.
The report, by Ben Cubby, details Woolworths’ plan to “conform to stringent environmental standards” by upgrading most of their old supermarket fridges.
The fridges currently in use by Woolworths and Safeway are described as chronically leaking potent greenhouse gas as well as having “high energy consumption”.
So the fact that Woolworths Ltd. has now decided to upgrade some of their environmentally damaging greenhouse gas-emitting fridges, is great. HOWEVER, the faact still remains that Woolworths (including Safeway), continue to permit the destruction of the environment through the suppliers of their OWN HOMEBRAND SELECT tissue products.
Back in November 2007, for the company AGM, Woolworths promised to investigate their suppliers, Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) – a company the WWF wont even certify because of all of the environmental damage they do.
Yet Michael Luscombe has done nothing!! The company has not announced their findings, or even that the investigation is underway. If they can not confirm that their toilet paper, tissue and paper towel is from sustainable sources, the product should be REMOVED FROM THE SHELVES. Once again, I think this is just a stalling tactic from Woolworths, hoping shoppers will forget.
Woolworths continue to be an environmental vandal every day they sell the Select toilet paper, tissues and paper towel.
The report, by Ben Cubby, details Woolworths’ plan to “conform to stringent environmental standards” by upgrading most of their old supermarket fridges.
The fridges currently in use by Woolworths and Safeway are described as chronically leaking potent greenhouse gas as well as having “high energy consumption”.
So the fact that Woolworths Ltd. has now decided to upgrade some of their environmentally damaging greenhouse gas-emitting fridges, is great. HOWEVER, the faact still remains that Woolworths (including Safeway), continue to permit the destruction of the environment through the suppliers of their OWN HOMEBRAND SELECT tissue products.
Back in November 2007, for the company AGM, Woolworths promised to investigate their suppliers, Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) – a company the WWF wont even certify because of all of the environmental damage they do.
Yet Michael Luscombe has done nothing!! The company has not announced their findings, or even that the investigation is underway. If they can not confirm that their toilet paper, tissue and paper towel is from sustainable sources, the product should be REMOVED FROM THE SHELVES. Once again, I think this is just a stalling tactic from Woolworths, hoping shoppers will forget.
Woolworths continue to be an environmental vandal every day they sell the Select toilet paper, tissues and paper towel.
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