RETAIL INTERVIEW
ASDA
George
goes green Eco options are top of the agenda for George at Asda, as senior sustainability manager Jade Snart explains
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s a value volume retailer, it’s We have launched many circular important that we play our part initiatives over the past few years, to minimise the environmental including the launch of our George impact of what we produce. Take Back scheme where we offer an Sustainability has always been incentive for our customers to recycle a part of our business but in 2019 their unwanted clothing and home we shared our five-pillar ‘George textiles with us. We’ve also partnered for Good’ strategy. This primarily with Preloved [a vintage wholesaler focuses on responsibly sourced fibres, that sells bespoke vintage clothing sustainable manufacturing, from well-known brands] and people in our supply chain, now offer second-hand clothing reduction of packaging and in 50 of our stores. Sustainability circularity. It covers clothing We try to have a constant is absolutely at the and general merchandise drumbeat of the journey we forefront of our including toys. are currently on, explaining to We are pleased to say that customers why we are doing what criteria when we over 80% of our products are we are doing, and also offering onboard new now sourced with responsible recycling solutions in our stores for suppliers fibres and we publicly those hard-to-recycle items. We disclose our first and second actively encourage our customers tier supply base. to care for their products to ensure they have the maximum longevity where possible and promote our ‘Wear me, Care for me, and Share me’ culture with our 100-day guarantee. Asda buying manager of fashion dolls, playsets & We actively listen to our customers collectables, arts & crafts, and areas of preschool via listening groups and insight and toys Natalie Leather says: customer feedback. We “Investigating, trialling, and introducing new ways also run user/wearer of being sustainable is something we remain focused trials to ensure our on. In recent years we have moved to ensure all our products meet our highGeorge Home wooden toys are FSC-accredited. quality standards and We have also been on a journey with our suppliers, last the test of time. working with them to reduce the amount of plastic Sustainability is packaging in our toys, with the aim of making them absolutely at completely plastic-free. the forefront “We feature a range of sustainable toys in our of our criteria Middleton sustainability store [in Leeds, which when we opened in October 2020], and we are always on the onboard new lookout with suppliers and manufacturers for new suppliers, and materials that are more sustainable. we run vigorous “We also use many suppliers that work with audits that all our TerraCycle [an innovative recycling company that suppliers must specialises in recycling hard-to-recycle material], comply with ahead giving customers the opportunity to recycle some of of the partnership their toys.” commencing.
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Buyer’s eye
JANUARY 2022
Peppa Pig partnership
George at Asda has partnered with Peppa Pig and Ecologi to offer a range of clothing made from responsibly sourced cotton through the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) as well footwear, accessories and wooden toys and playsets made with FSC-certified wood from responsibly managed forests, as part of Hasbro’s Plant with Peppa campaign. Plant with Peppa aims to teach children about the importance of trees to the world, and Peppa Pig’s reforestation programme pledges to plant 10,000 trees at projects based in England, Wales and Scotland. A variety of trees including oak, maple, crab apple, cherry, silver birch and Scots pine will be planted, and families will be able to check their progress at the virtual Peppa Forest on the Ecologi website, where they can click on each tree to find out where it has been planted and how well it is growing. Catrina O’Brien, retail development director for Hasbro, said: “We’re so pleased to be partnering with George on our Plant with Peppa campaign, and proud to be showcasing a range of products made with the planet in mind. By planting 10,000 trees, Peppa is helping to show that our actions can have a positive impact on future generations. We hope that it gives families an engaging way to learn about the vital role that trees play in the earth’s eco system.”
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