Which systems influence my challenge?
There’s a number of systems that influence my challenge, My Family system which has been very supportive, helped me along this journey and even joined in, my friends system who haven’t probably been as supportive but are starting to slowly change and then there’s the Retail system (supermarkets & convenience stores) I done my second weekly shop of the week yesterday and found it easier when I knew what I was looking for I managed to get all the food that I wanted without plastic which was a success, what I did notice though is how much needless plastic keelings use on all there products, keelings are the biggest fruit producer in Ireland and the majority of there products are grown in Dublin which is a very good thing for the environment, there packaging is another story though so I’ve decided to email them telling them that they’ve lost me as a customer because of this and asking them why they can’t package the fruit in a more environmentally friendly way anyone else that wants to do this can do it here https://keelings.ie/contact-us/ , it probably won’t make any difference but I said it can’t do any harm.
How can I influence these systems?
As I mentioned above my first step was to stop buying plastic and my second step was to email keelings letting them know they’ve lost me as a customer and asking them why they don’t cut down on plastic as there product doesn’t need to be packaged in it.
I worked in the retail industry for many years and I’ve seen firsthand the waste (plastic & food waste) that is created in stores a lot of it completely needless, this is what has inspired me to start the BCES course in DCU to learn and get a qualification in this area so I can try to change the retail system. I think my experience working in retail combined with the BCES course will give me an edge in dealing with people in the retail industry because I know where there coming from and hopefully I’ll be able to show them a different more environmentally friendly way of doing things in the future.
-
Darren Clarke commented on Day 15: Systems 4 years agoHi Thomas. It was great discussing your challenge on Friday, including the email you wrote to the fruit and veg supplier. The response received shows how embedded different systems are with one another. It's interesting you talk about changing systems within the retail industry to reduce plastic. Have you also thought about the social, cultural, economic, financial and political systems that might need to change for this to happen? Very often the practical changes to improve sustainability are tied into multiple systems, all of which require changing. Keelings email is a great example of this and all of the systems they said that need to change for them to reduce plastic packaging. There are perhaps many other systems that they didn't mention that also need to change. It's also fantastic that you're having a positive impact on others. Don't underestimate this positive impact - conversation is essential when it comes to changes we want to see in the world. Looking forward to continue reading your posts and how the next few weeks go. Darren Respond
-
cCHANGE Team commented on Day 15: Systems 4 years agoHi Tomas, I am curious --- what did Keelings write back to you? Perhaps you could post it on the platform? Best, Leonie at cCHANGE Respond
-
Tomás Reilly commented on Day 15: Systems 4 years agoHi Leonie below is the transcript of what feelings rrplied Thanks so much for your email, I understand your concerns around plastic, but I would like to reassure you that this is on our agenda right now. The switch from plastic is incredibly complicated because we need to find the best solution that will work with our suppliers, our fruit, our chilled storage environment, our transport etc, and still ensures the quality of the fruit quality is protected. There is no “off-the-shelf” or fast solution available because what is of key importance to us is that any solution we implement can stand up to scrutiny in terms of it's sourcing and its breakdown after use as it would be pointless to introduce something to satisfy the plastic agenda, but open up a different environmental issue. So, you can see that we have a long list of considerations in finding a solution but our work is ongoing. In the meantime, we are using plastic in our punnets that is made up of 80% recycled material and that are themselves 100% recyclable. Our labels carry a message on the reverse about how to dispose of the punnet responsibly. I should also point out that our work on plastic punnets is only one of our sustainability initiatives. In 2019, we moved away from MDF and into cardboard packaging across our bumper boxes, we removed all black plastic from our range and we launched our Keelings Irish Eating Apples into cardboard packaging. In addition, we have a number of sustainability pillars in place on our farm and are certified by Bord Bia Origin Green. I hope that all of this information helps to reassure you that, while in the short-term it may appear that we are doing nothing, there is actually a lot going on and that driving sustainable packaging is very much a focus for us. Respond
You must be logged in or have the proper rights to post a comment.