Thoughtful food

Best known for their fantastic range of meat-free alternatives, Quorn Foods just keep getting better, having recently announced their commitment to the planet with ‘climate-positive’ protein. The brand’s Sustainable Development Report states that in 2018, Quorn generated 8.5 times fewer CO2 emissions than the meat they replaced. As a result, customers saved over 200,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions by choosing veggie or vegan options. The report also highlights Quorn’s commitments to reducing plastic pollution. The company removed 100 per cent of black plastic from their packaging in 2018, and as a partner of the Waste & Resources Action Programme (wrap.org.uk) and signatory to the UK Plastics Pact, Quorn have pledged to making 100 per cent of their plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable. They aim to eliminate all single-use plastic from their manufacturing sites by the end of 2019.

For more information, visit quorn.co.uk

Get ‘appy

Ever get confused by the amount of ethical buzzwords floating around the world of sustainable shopping? It can be tricky to know who to trust. Enter Giki – an app that makes that process much easier by informing users about the products and companies they buy from. It works by awarding badges to items based on categories, such as low carbon footprint, animal welfare and packaging. Their aim is to drive sustainable consumption by connecting customer values with their shopping decisions, allowing them to scan products’ barcodes through the app to see which badges have been awarded by the social enterprise – easy! It’s available on both iPhone and Android phones and now counts over 280,000 rated products from all major UK supermarket retailers and brands, including own label items.

For more information, visit gikibadges.com

Read all about it

Most people have heard of Greta Thunberg – the Swedish schoolgirl who spoke up, skipped school and made a stand for saving the planet. Her passion continues to inspire worldwide, so it’s no wonder that her tale has made it to the pages of a book dedicated to her story so far. Greta famously took a placard and went on strike in front of Sweden’s parliament building. Quickly, her actions caught the attention of others, spiralling to become a protest known as the Fridays for Future – or School Strike 4 Climate – movement, which millions have now joined around the world. She has since has spoken at COP24, the UN summit on climate change, and has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. This is the perfect page-turner to hand to your little one (suitable for ages nine to 12) to inform them of the power we all possess to make a difference.