just-drinks authors and correspondents

Biography

Ben Cooper is just-drinks' sustainable business editor and specialises in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, policy issues and sustainability. He holds MAs from Cambridge University and the University of London, respectively in Social and Political Sciences and Social Policy.

He joined the just-drinks editorial team in 2000 and today works across both just-drinks and just-food, while also writing occasionally for just-style.

In addition to his regular features, Ben has written numerous in-depth management briefings on issues such as alcohol policy, sponsorship, the Fairtrade market, the use of food colourings and environmental issues facing the clothing industry. He also writes regularly for Ethical Corporation magazine which specialises in the corporate social responsibility field.

He lives in London where he also works as a professional singer.

Columns by Ben Cooper

Sustainability in Drinks

Every month, Ben Cooper casts his eye over sustainability efforts in the global drinks industry.

Articles by Ben Cooper

Why COVID-19 risks further government intervention for drinks - Sustainability Spotlight 18 June 2020

Within a few months, the coronavirus pandemic has dramatically increased the health risks associated with being overweight or obese. This is likely to have implications for the soft drinks sector, Ben Cooper writes, but it is important to stress the emerging evidence is more about the impacts of COVID-19 than about the causes of obesity.

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Could bulk beer shipping be another COVID-19 legacy? - sustainability spotlight 22 May 2020

Ben Cooper looks at how the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic could prompt brewers to look afresh at shipping beer in bulk, with 'bag-in-tank' shipping now offering solutions to longstanding logistical challenges.

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How COVID-19 is prompting a reevaluation of nudge theory in marketing – Sustainability Spotlight 23 April 2020

Applying the thinking that has shaped its obesity policy to the COVID-19 crisis has landed the UK Government in difficulty. During the pandemic, discussion of further anti-obesity measures targeted at soft drinks firms has been further deferred, Ben Cooper writes. How governments address conflicts between commercial freedoms and wellbeing may be up for a thorough re-appraisal as part of the post-COVID-19 reset.

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Could the coronavirus pandemic make for more caring companies? - sustainability spotlight 31 March 2020

Ben Cooper examines how COVID-19 is giving progressive companies the chance to show the ideals of conscious capitalism in action, and how corporate engagement in addressing major global issues, such as climate change and poverty, might be affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

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How weaving sustainability into your business model will generate value - Sustainability Spotlight 27 February 2020

Ben Cooper examines recent announcements from soft drinks producers Coca-Cola European Partners and Britvic that underline how sustainability goals no longer simply inspire companies or earn them green credentials, but have become critical to value creation and business strategy.

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How can drinks firms connect with consumers on climate action? – Sustainability Spotlight 31 January 2020

The New Year - and decade - have begun much as the last ones ended, with climate change making headline news and a 16-year-old Swedish schoolgirl delivering uncomfortable truths to an audience of elite grown-ups. This month, the alphas on the receiving end of Greta Thunberg's uncompromising words and unsettling, piercing stare were gathered for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.

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The wine category in 2019 - just-drinks' Review of the Year, Part I - FREE TO ACCESS 5 December 2019

As the year draws to a close, just-drinks takes a look back at the stories that have made the headlines across the global drinks industry over the last 12 months. Here, Ben Cooper picks out the highs and lows for the wine category.

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Your company needs to do more to curb emissions - Consumers demand it - Sustainability Spotlight 29 November 2019

As 2019 draws to a close, the reviews of the year will surely focus on the upsurge in impassioned concern over climate change, with montages of extreme weather, forest fires, Extinction Rebellion civil disobedience, children across the globe walking out of school in protest and Greta Thunberg scolding the UN's Climate Summit. However, while the climate debate undeniably gathered pace this year, the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions sadly did not.

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Why soft drinks companies must have nutrition & hydration as their watchwords - Sustainability Spotlight 7 November 2019

Drinks companies are finding it increasingly difficult to persuade lawmakers not to impose taxes on sweetened soft drinks. The reasons why, Ben Cooper writes, can be found in two reports from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

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The Coca-Cola Co's delicate sports sponsorship balancing act - Sustainability Spotlight 19 September 2019

In this month's focus on the sustainability arena, Ben Cooper considers how The Coca-Cola Co's sugar reduction efforts are being perceived by campaigners.