Topics in Supply and Demand and Sustainability

U.S. organic sales pass $50 billion mark for first time - although the rate of growth is slowing.

Making Food Waste into a Business - As emphasis is put on reducing food waste, some have made utilization of food waste into a business.  This includes using off-spec fruit and vegetables either as part of an ugly produce sales program or to use as a raw material for pressing and blending, using spent brewing grains to make nutrition drinks, or using juice from cooked off chick peas for mayonnaise.

Getting Rid of Plastic Straws - More foodservice / retail operations are phasing out plastic straws.  This includes Whole Foods and Starbucks.  This is as much, or more of a symbolic move as plastic straws are just a small part of the overall plastic waste stream.

A Coffee Cup Recycling Program - With the growing need to curb waste, some are looking at a food container recycling system - once a cup is used, it is collected, washed, and then reused.  We have seen similar systems with pallets and bicycles, why not coffee cups.  (Personally, I'd prefer to bring my own and wash it myself.)

Project Loop - "Loop is a new way to shop, offering about 300 items — from Tide detergent to Pantene shampoo, Häagen-Dazs ice cream to Crest mouthwash — all in reusable packaging. After using the products, customers put the empty containers in a Loop tote on their doorstep. The containers are then picked up by a delivery service, cleaned and refilled, and shipped out to consumers again."  Shipping becomes a hurdle for this.  As well as consumers giving up the ease of use associated with disposable plastic.

Speaking of shipping,
Trucking capacity is in a jam.  Demand for trucking is expanding rapidly as eCommerce grows.  There is a need for more trucks and even a bigger demand for drivers.  Add on that the infrastructure issues (crowded highways, deteriorating roads and bridges).



Morning Consult
https://morningconsult.com/2018/08/02/poll-us-adults-support-companies-phase-out-plastic-straws/
Poll: 67% of U.S. Adults Support Companies’ Phaseout of Plastic Straws
Most consumers believe eliminating plastic straws in businesses will be effective in cutting waste
By Sam Sabin
August 2, 2018 at 12:01 am ET

• 66% said they would have a more favorable view of a company that has a new recycling policy to reduce plastic waste.
• 55% say companies are not doing enough to reduce waste.

As Starbucks Corp. and Walt Disney Co. join a growing number of companies in phasing out plastic straws, it’s not certain that their actions will actually make a dent in the amount of plastic waste generated. But that may not matter as much for their overall brand image, as a new Morning Consult poll shows the move has the support of U.S. consumers, who also believe that banning straws will be effective in reducing waste.

In the survey, which was conducted July 19-23 among 2,201 U.S. adults, 67 percent said they back a company’s decision to ban plastic straws. Consumers are also supportive of recycling efforts: 66 percent said that if a company instituted a new recycling policy to reduce plastic waste, it would give them a more favorable impression of that company.
At the same time, 55 percent of adults believe companies are not doing enough to reduce waste. The poll has a margin of error of 2 percentage points.

“The ban on plastic straws alone probably won’t change too much in the grand scheme of things regarding plastic pollution, but from a business perspective, they are symbolic as a step towards more eco-friendly consumption practices,” said Lindsey Bier, assistant professor of clinical business communication at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, in a phone interview Friday. “Brands that are banning plastic straws are offering customers the opportunity to feel a personal connection, and they make the consumer feel as if they are making a difference.” 

Bier sees the move of businesses ridding themselves of plastic straws as a play at appealing to a younger consumer base. 

“We know that millennials care about environmentalism,” she said. “We know that they support eco-friendly corporations, so if you want to remain financially sustainable with your consumer base, you have to alter your business practices in order to satisfy them.” 

Rest of article - https://morningconsult.com/2018/08/02/poll-us-adults-support-companies-phase-out-plastic-straws/