When supermarkets need a pat on the back

I have previously blogged about the negative impact supermarkets have on the environment - from excess packaging to selling out of season imported produce and a lot more besides, I am the first to admit I am not a lover of supermarkets.  But I am also a realist. I use supermarkets and I also know that they are not going to go away in the foreseeable future and so when this image popped up on Facebook I was really pleased.  As far as I am aware Morrisons are the first supermarket to actively encourage customers to bring their own containers when buying meat from the butcher counter.  Brilliant news.

Image from The Rubbish Diet Facebook Page

When I added a comment saying how great this was someone else commented saying that we should not be applauding Morrisons as they (and other supermarkets) are the cause of the problem.  Yes, they are a cause of many environmental problems which is exactly why they need to start to do something about it - and this is a great green step.  They may have their own business agenda behind the move but the fact is, once a scheme like this becomes mainstream it has a much greater chance of succeeding.  Look how that one episode of Blue Planet 2 brought the issue of plastic pollution into the public domain and it probably did more to raise awareness of the problem in one episode than thousands of hours of environmental campaigning from green groups could ever achieve.  Supermarkets have the same power to reach a huge audience.

Eva Katona from Captain Bobcat Blog also commenting on my own Facebook page with this comment:

I’m with you Rosie. Most people shops in supermarkets and most of them - unfortunately - don’t think about plastic wrapping or ethical sourcing and prices etc. Some people sadly have to be forced to make a change. If supermarkets join in to make a change which is in everyone’s favour on long term, everyone wins.
Also, the plastic free movement IS consumer led. It is actually a huge success story because it is working: Morrison’s is following the demand in this case. Which is fantastic I think!

Which leads me to ask, is the plastic free movement consumer led?  Looking at what people buy here in French supermarkets I could easily doubt that and it is rare to see a shopping cart without a mountain of plastic inside.  BUT, is this because they are unaware/don't care or is it because alternatives are not available?  The plastic I bring home is because I cannot buy an alternative but am I in the majority or the minority by trying to avoid plastic?

In an ideal world we would all shop locally buying local produce in plastic free packaging. But that world does not exist and in the meantime we need to get the main problem creators on board and offering viable green alternatives.

So should Morrisons be applauded for promoting a scheme to bring your own containers to the meat counter?  What do you think?