Green Special: Canary Wharf Retail

Chop'd

Salad bar Chop'd is a popular lunchtime destination for many Wharfers and the company is dedicated to sourcing most of its food from suppliers in and around London.

Marketing representative Pauline Moses (pictured top) explained Chop'd's ethos to cutting down the food miles.

She said: "We have seven shops in London and we try, as much as possible to find suppliers close by.

"For example, our apples come from a farm in Kent so they are always fresh, while our fruit and veg is hand-selected at Covent Garden market every morning, and our chickens come from susainable stock in Essex.

"While you can't get rid of food miles completely, things like rice have to be imported, we are trying as much as possible to keep things seasonal. That's why you don't see us selling strawberries or asparagus in December."

Chop'd also takes the recycling issue seriously and is actively working on reducing its carbon footprint.

Pauline said: "We use plastic salad bowls that are made from 60 per cent post consumer waste that's been recycled and we have recycling bins in all our stores to encourage people to dispose of their waste responsibly.

"Our bag return scheme is very popular, especially as people get free food if they reuse one of our bags.

"Next year we will be looking more closely at alternative packaging materials, such as cardboard bowls, to replace the plastic."

chopd.co.uk

Waitrose

The Canary Wharf branch was doing its bit by handing out free bags for life to all customers as it continued to support the annual environmental awareness day.

Customer services manager Mike Buckingham (left) explained what other green steps the company is taking, particularly when it comes to recycling.

He said: "We've always supported Green Days and we're delighted to do so again this year.

"The bag for life idea was started by Waitrose and for 10p customers can buy a bag and then get it replaced for nothing when it wears out. We recycle the old ones. We hope to hand out 2,000 over the two days.

"Recycling is an important part of what we do. As we also sell white goods here we offer a service to collect and recycle old ones from our customers, so things like fridges can be disposed of responsibly."

One area where all supermarkets are often criticized is excessive packaging on foodstuffs. Mr Buckingham acknowledged this is a problem area but was adamant Waitrose is looking for solutions.

He said: "We're committed to finding ways of reducing our packaging. Our new essentials range has less packaging and we are continually working to make things recyclable.

"Sometimes the packaging is a mix of what can be recycled and what cannot. For example, the tray our tomatoes come in can be recycled but the plastic wrapper cannot be, but we are always looking at ways to improve."

waitrose.co.uk

The Body Shop

The Body Shop has long been at the forefront of the ethical debate, most notably on the use of product testing on animals, but the chain of cosmetic stores also takes a keen interest in where the ingredients for its products come from.

Amanda Copcutt (pictured near right with colleague Hannah Buckle) works in the Canary Wharf branch. She outlined the Community Trade ethos underpinning some of its products.

She said: "Community Trade is our version of Fair Trade. Our cocoa butter is sourced from Ghana, our aloe vera from Guatemala, and our wood products from India. We find the small farmers and traditional craftspeople and develop long-term relationships with them."

Ethical trading is not all The Body Shop is doing to give green living a boost.

"We've also got bags for life, which we give to people for a donation of £2.50," said Amanda.

"We're also using less packaging on our gift products and encouraging people to reuse their packaging, things like bags, rather than throwing them away."

thebodyshop.co.uk.

Evans Cycles

While most Wharfers rely on the DLR or the Jubilee line to get them to work a significant number are taking to the bicycle, partly due to the Ride2Work scheme promoted by many employers.

Evans Cycles are one of three bike suppliers involved in the scheme and Cameron Day, of Ride2Work sales, believes it is an important part of encouraging green travel.

He said: "There are obvious health benefits from cycling to and from work and we've seen a big increase in numbers since the scheme began.

"A number of big Wharf companies are involved in the scheme, which gives employees the chance to buy a bicycle and kit for up to 50 per cent less than the normal price. It's payroll related and staff get VAT, tax and National Insurance breaks to help pay for the kit."

So, what would the average Wharfer need to buy if he wanted to come into work tomorrow on a bike but was starting from scratch?

Evans recommend good quality, mid-range equipment, with the basics being a bike, helmet, hi-visibility jacket and lights.

A Pinnacle Mean Streak bike (£449.99), an Echelon helmet (£49.99), Night Vision waterproof reflective jacket (£69.99) and Cat Eye lights (£49.99), although with the Ride2Work scheme they would be available for substantially less than the retail prices quoted.

evanscycles.com.