Today, on World Environment Day, we’re launching a brand new podcast called ‘Which? Investigates’. Its host, Science Journalist & Producer Greg Foot, is here to tell us more.
I’m really excited to be hosting an eight-episode first season of ‘Which? Investigates’. The podcast looks to uncover which of the myriad claims we all see on products, in the press and shared on social media are actually backed up by facts.
The first season of Which? Investigates focuses on putting claims of “sustainability” under the spotlight.
From plant-based food to plastic-free products and electric cars, I’ll be digging deeper into what genuinely reduces our environmental footprint, and what’s simply green-washing, to give consumers the confidence to make better choices for themselves and the environment.
Which claims can we trust?
It all started when I read on Twitter that removing plastic packaging from some foods may actually increase their environmental impact rather than reduce it.
I then heard that some of the plastic I diligently check, wash and recycle at home may end up being shipped thousands of miles away where it’s dumped or burnt.
Another curve-ball arrived when I showed a friend my new electric car and she pointed out that the batteries use loads of rare earth metals and that manufacturing the car comes with a big environmental cost. ‘So’, she asked, ‘shouldn’t you have just kept your old gas-guzzler?’
That was a fair question, and it’s exactly the sort I’ll be trying to answer in the podcast.
Filtering out marketing hype
For a while now I’ve been on a mission to separate genuine claims from marketing hype, calling on brands and manufacturers to provide evidence for the bold statements they make on packaging, in the press, or on social media.
I started this bunk-busting with my BBC Radio 4 series “The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread?” where I scrutinised claims about kombucha’s ability to make your gut healthier, exercise tape’s effectiveness in supporting your joints and “noise-cancelling” headphones success in, well, cancelling noise.
Noise Cancelling Headphones – The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread or expensive BS?
I was joined by @BBC6Music's @maryannehobbs & Prof @trevor_cox to investigate.
Listen to the extended podcast of the @BBCRadio4 show on @BBCSounds or wherever you get your podcasts (links below) pic.twitter.com/UGuxEBE6Qz
— Greg Foot (@gregfoot) May 6, 2020
I’ve always wanted to dig deeper into ‘sustainability’, to find out what genuinely reduces our carbon footprint and what is actually just marketing, and this podcast is going to do just that.
If you’ve ever been told that you should go vegan for the planet, or heard that you can holiday with a clear conscience if you carbon off-set your air miles, and were left wondering what the evidence says, Which? Investigates is here to help.