Doing the right thing

“Across Grocery there is plenty of genuine desire and activity from retailers and spirits suppliers alike to drive down their carbon emissions.”

I joined Ellers Farm – a new, state-of-the-art distillery being built in the heart of North Yorkshire - a few months ago inspired by the drive and ambition to become one of the leading eco-spirits companies globally through a clear and unfettered focus on people, planet and profit.

Excited to see how the Spirits category was already embracing this future vision, I visited Asda Middleton, a “reduce, reuse and recycle trial store” in a suburb of Leeds. Undoubtedly the store was full of positive and creative initiatives across a number of categories but ultimately I was left to reflect whether we are making it easy enough for consumers in the spirits category who want to ‘do the right thing’ for the planet to make an informed purchase choice?

Across Grocery there is plenty of genuine desire and activity from retailers and spirits suppliers alike to drive down their carbon emissions, promote recycling and reuse, and encourage their customers to adapt their behaviours to become a more sustainable society. 

But could we be more radical? Could we push the agenda faster? 

Working at Scottish & Newcastle following the acquisition of the Bulmers brand, I saw the speed at which the Cider category grew and we quickly realised the space available to the category instore was insufficient both from a ranging and effective replenishment perspective. The buyers knew the issue but faced their own internal battles to take space from other categories in store.

Roll on a few years to the swift establishment of No and Low Bays to reflect consumer trends, and the even speedier space release to Hard Seltzers. That retailers have become faster and more agile in responding to consumer behaviours has got to be a good thing hasn’t it? So why is it still so difficult in the Spirits category for the huge number of consumers in store who want to make an informed choice on selecting their bottle(s) of spirits? Lidl have recently introduced their new Eco-Score system on 50 Lidl products. What if we had something similar for the Spirits Category? What if we created bays instore / online space / Corporate Events for ‘real’ sustainable products recognised by trusted third parties – not ‘greenwashing’ or vague offsetting initiatives, but genuine offerings that give customers confidence that they are making a choice in line with their own beliefs and principles? Would this make things easier for consumers? Would this accelerate the development of new, innovative ideas and solutions by suppliers? Would this put more scrutiny on sustainability claims and credentials? I’m planning to revisit Asda Middleton in a few months to check on new developments. I wonder if I will see any significant change?