Coles called out as Woolworths follows Aldi in making 'significant' meat change

Woolworths and Aldi have been praised for committing to going deforestation-free in their supermarkets, leaving just one competitor still to follow suit.

Joe Attanasio
·Senior Reporter
Updated ·3-min read
Woolworths and Aldi store fronts pictured.
It's probably not something you think about when you're buying your meat. Source: Getty

After Woolworths revealed it'll soon source only deforestation-free products for its supermarkets, following a similar announcement from competitor Aldi earlier this year, environmental advocates have blasted Coles for "lagging so far behind".

In its annual report released on Wednesday, Woolworths set a target to go completely deforestation-free by 2025, as required by the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). Applauding the move, Greenpeace Australia Pacific said Woolies' commitment is a "big and significant step" towards addressing "the destruction of our forests and native wildlife".

Speaking to Yahoo News Australia a Woolworths spokeswoman said the company was "committed to sourcing beef sustainably". “We understand that the majority of Australian producers already practise responsible land management, and we believe our no deforestation goal will help promote the sustainability credentials of Australian red meat," she told Yahoo.

Deforestation for Beef in Bilyana, Central Queensland, Australia
In Australia, 7.7 million hectares of forest and bushland were destroyed by land clearing between 2000 and 2017 — the size of Ireland. Source: Greenpeace Australia Pacific

Greenpeace has now implored Coles — which it said was "looking increasingly isolated as Australia’s only major supermarket without a strong deforestation-free policy" — to make the change.

Gemma Plesman, senior campaigner at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said Australia has one of the world’s worst rates of deforestation, killing or harming about 100 million native animals every year and fuelling climate change.

“The bulldozing and destruction of our forests is driven primarily by beef cattle production. As one of Australia’s biggest buyers of beef, Woolworths can make a considerable difference in helping end this destructive practice and set an example for others to follow suit," she said.

Coles gets "a big thumbs down on deforestation", Plesman added, saying the supermarket giant was now lagging "so far" behind its competitors. "We know that shoppers actively consider sustainability when purchasing — and when it comes to nature protection, they now have a clear choice at the supermarket shelves," she said.

Speaking to Yahoo, a Coles spokeswoman said the issue was complex.

“As a food retailer, we understand the important connection between food and nature," she said. "We are committed to protecting Australian nature and are engaging with a range of NGO’s including Australian Conservation Foundation, Greenpeace and the Wilderness Society on a broad range of nature-related issues.

"We recognise the complexity of addressing the nature challenge and are committed to working with our farmers, suppliers and industry partners to reduce our impact on the environment and help our customers to make more responsible choices."

In Australia, 7.7 million hectares of forest and bushland were destroyed by land clearing between 2000 and 2017 — the size of Ireland, according to the Wilderness Society. We are the only developed country on the list of global deforestation hotspots with livestock production — namely beef — as one of the leading causes.

Deforestation for Beef in Bilyana, Central Queensland, Australia
In Queensland alone the beef industry has destroyed 1.4 million hectares of forests in five years, with about 70 per cent of deforestation undertaken to create pastures to graze livestock. Source: Greenpeace Australia Pacific

In Queensland alone the beef industry has destroyed 1.4 million hectares of forests and bushland in five years, with about 70 per cent of deforestation in the state undertaken to create pastures to graze livestock.

A 2012 study revealed just 50 per cent of Australia’s forests remained intact compared to pre-colonisation levels. The other 50 per cent had been either permanently converted to another land use or degraded, it found.

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