Words by Smiley Team
As part of your New Year’s resolutions, go on a diet that cuts your carbon footprint, not carbs, urges one of Britain’s oldest retailers, Marks & Spencers. So what’s the deal?
In collaboration with environmental charity Hubbub, the company is challenging its customers to adopt eco-friendly ways of cooking and eating with a scheme called Sparking Change.
Throughout January, it will offer advice for preparing meals with plant-based proteins. Then February’s challenge is to reduce household food waste.
“Reducing food waste and eating less meat and more plant-based foods are two of the simplest ways we can all do our bit to help the environment,” explained Mark Breen from Hubbub.
Participants in the two-month challenge will be able to join a live cooking workshop hosted by M&S chef, Chris Baber, alongside a surprise celebrity guest.
The advice on offer includes ideas for planning ahead in order to avoid waste and eat more healthily, as well as how to preserve and repurpose leftovers.
Available through Sparks, M&S’s loyalty reward scheme, the diet programme is based on growing support for eco-friendly living. It draws on research by the company that discovered two-thirds of families in the UK are becoming increasingly concerned about the environment.
Almost half believe that we should eat less meat and well over a third say they’ve already adjusted the groceries they buy to account for climate change.
Off the back of this research, the company designed a pilot scheme trialled with almost 100 customers across the country.
After nine weeks of cooking and lifestyle advice, workshops and training, 90% of the participants reported that their family was eating less meat and wasting less food.
Beverly Agbamu, a participant from Surrey, said: “I’ve always loved entertaining but with the pandemic and a hectic lifestyle with two children I’d lost interest in cooking. Sparking Change helped reignite my love for cooking from scratch and I’m still using all the tips I learnt from the challenge.
“I’ve halved my food waste by freezing more food, which before I would have thrown out, and batch cooking is helping me save more money. Now I’m always looking for ways to use leftovers and trying to be more sustainable where I can,” she added.
