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WINE AND BEER CONVENIENCE CAMPAIGN
Five Media Questions for the LCBO
LCBO claims credit for the success of the Ontario Deposit Return Program (Bag it back), citing the 1
billion beverage alcohol containers recycled between the program’s February 2007 launch and
December 2010. The Crown agency’s “LCBO Sustainability Report 2010-2011” further asserts that last
year saw a 77-percent return rate.
Yet, the LCBO does almost zero to promote Bag it back.
Here are five questions news media should ask the LCBO about why they do not promote Bag it back
while claiming credit for its positive environmental impact. The Wine and Beer Convenience
Campaign will publish the answers next week.
Question one
Why did the blue Bag it back logo, with its signature recycling graphic, and supporting promotional
materials disappear from LCBO outlets within five months of the February 2007 launch? What
happened, for example, to the Back it back logos on the LCBO entrance and exit doors?
Question two
What happened to the $1.5 million earmarked by the LCBO during preparation for the Bag it back
launch? Why was it promised internally to related government responsibility ministries and The Beer
Store, then “disappeared” just before launch?
Question three
Why does the LCBO not have the blue Bag it back logo on its website, its Food & Drink magazine, or
even in its own Sustainability Report in which they tout the program’s success?
Question four
If the LCBO has a full commitment to the environment, why have they not targeted a 100-percent
return rate and followed up on that goal by partnering with The Beer Store in promotional materials or
events, e.g., charity drives etc.? Why have they not put the substantial heft of their marketing
machinery behind this environmental initiative?
Question five
How much money has the LCBO saved through the reduction of empty beverage alcohol containers
going to the Blue Box system? Thanks to the deposit return program and the Blue Box system,
Ontarians are recycling 92 percent of alcohol empties. How much is the LCBO paying Stewardship
Ontario now compared to pre-Bag it back days?