Pollution

What’s going on?

Pollution occurs throughout the food retail supply chain – from inputs such as fertilisers to the extraction of materials such as through farming and fishing, processing and packaging, distribution and retailing, consumption and disposal.

As a result, pollution occurs in a variety of forms. Plastic pollution is, perhaps, the most visible retail pollution issue.

Plastic bags are another major cause for concern. UK grocery businesses are highly dependent on plastic packaging designed to be used once then discarded. Plastic waste leaches hazardous chemicals into the soil or is blown into rivers and oceans. Plastic, which makes up 80% of all marine debris, is lethal to marine life.[i]

Retail estates and facilities also contribute to pollution. Supermarket car parks, for example, exacerbate the accumulation of nitrogen, heavy metals and sediment in urban streams by increasing storm water run-off. Impervious concreted areas also create local heat islands which impact on local biodiversity.

Agriculture is another source of pollution. Pollution in form of synthetic fertilisers, chemical pesticides, livestock water, and nutrient runoff are all by-products of industrial agriculture which have significant impacts on biodiversity, human health, and nature.

Further, the decline of mixed farming resulting from the rise of specialised farms is another contributor to the decline of biodiversity.[ii]

Yet some farmers are actively supporting biodiversity: organic agriculture supports a much higher level of biodiversity than conventional farming systems, including species that have significantly declined, a growing body of evidence suggests.[iii]