The UK?s The Independent broadsheet newspaper?s ?Campaign Against Waste? reflects the hypocrisy of the mainstream media?s attitude towards the environment; 

The Independent headlines with ?Made in Britain, Dumped in China ? How our waste causes death and disease 6,000 miles from home?  draws to the public?s attention to how the UK?s waste plastic packaging is shipped halfway around the world to China to cause suffering amongst the workers, some as young as four years old, that scrape a living from processing it.  The Independent further supports this problem with its ?Campaign Against Waste ?.   The campaign actively encourages you to email them with examples of absurd packaging, or if you have been infuriated by the waste with something that you have bought.  No-one can disagree with a campaign to highlight the issues of excessive packaging on goods. 

It?s honourable that a newspaper is filling its front three pages with detail of the horror that toxic smoke and pollution that the West has created in China because of our obsession with unnecessary plastic packaging.    

Here?s the hypocrisy;  browse further in to the printed version of the newspaper and you find a quarter page advertisement for a week long offer; ?Detox Your Body - a free bottle of Vittel water when you buy The Independent newspaper from WHSmith? (one of the UK?s largest newsagent chains).    Not only does Vittel mineral water have to be shipped from France to the UK (just think of the carbon miles that takes), the plastic bottles are made from non-degradable plastic.  Water packaged in plastic bottles is a fine example of un-necessary, over packaging - Britain has very high quality drinking water straight out of the tap!  So just where does The Independent newspaper think that the thousands of empty plastic bottles from this promotion will end-up?  I?d bet my money that a good proportion will be dumped in China ? well done The Independent ? Waste Wally of the year!

If you want to email The Independent newspaper because you have been infuriated by the waste associated with any product that you have bought (or water given away with a newspaper promotion) please email The Independent?s Campaign Against Waste at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it   with your thoughts.

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Craig said:

Thanks for the heads-up on the Vittel thing! I've linked that into the bottom of my own post, and written The Independent. http://www.celsias.com/blog/2007/01/26/transnational-trash/

January 26, 2007

Anon said:

Jeremy Paxman has accused the BBC of hypocrisy over climate change, saying it takes a "high moral tone" in its reporting of the issue while at the same time pursuing environmentally irresponsible policies.... http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,2002958,00.html

September 13, 2007

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