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Supermarkets are being asked to cut plastic waste. What would that look like? (www.cbc.ca)
submitted 3 years ago by to c/canada@lemmy.ca
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The industry's trade association, the Retail Council of Canada, said the new policy "unfortunately" targets large grocers exclusively.

"Which is impractical, as Canadian retailers lack direct control and influence over the global supply chain," said Michelle Wasylyshen, the council's national spokesperson.

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[–] 27 points 3 years ago (2 children)

... Canadian retailers lack direct control and influence over the global supply chain...

I'm going to call BS on that one. Some of the largest retailers own many parts of the supply chain and exercise monopsony power over many other parts.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 years ago* (1 child)

    They have downstream control, but not upstream control. It is the upstream that is demanding plastic packaging here, particularly plastics which have transparency. For some reason they want to be able to see the food before buying it.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) (1 child)

    Obviously something I hadn't considered. On the other hand, we buy plenty of canned and boxed food without being able to see the food itself, so this may be just a matter of forcing us to adjust. Although I'm not sure that I can ever be convinced to buy most meats without being able to see it.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 years ago* (1 child)

    we buy plenty of canned and boxed food without being able to see the food itself

    It is quite true that the upstream doesn't demand plastic for plastic's sake, it demands plastic only when it provides a real utility. Granted, even cans are typically lined in plastic and boxes often contain plastic bags to allow the product to remain self-stable and fresh. If the customer can't see the product, they expect some guarantees about its quality, and plastic can help with that.

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